Blood and Spells
by Jasper'sBaltimoreBabe
Summary: Gwendolyn comes from a long line of witches. When her grandmother dies, she leaves behind a cryptic quilt. Will this lead Gwen to the man of her dreams? What happens when someone else battles for her love? No Renesmee. Jasper/OC. Jacob/OC. R R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This will hopefully be a pretty cool story! It's rated M to give me some leeway. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! I just own a bunch of Twilight merchandise!**

It had been three weeks since Grandmother Issa had died. As I sat in our kitchen- well, it was _my_ kitchen now- my heart ached with loneliness…despair…feelings I hadn't felt since my parents had driven off a bridge when I was twelve. Now, thirteen years later, the woman who had raised me through my rebellious teenage years was gone. And all I had left was her final wish.

_Flashback:_

I sat by her bed in the hospital, her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders. Her skin was pale white, and her breathing was labored. Even though she had lived a long, full life, her skin barely had any wrinkles. Her piercing blue eyes locked onto my dark green ones.

"Gwendolyn," she sighed. "It's almost over."

"No, Grammy, please, no," I cried.

"Hush, darling. You're going to get yourself all worked up. It's the cycle of life: people are born, they live, and they eventually die. You know this."

I nodded, tears streaming down my face.

"Gwen, I want you to promise me something."

"Yes, Grandmother?" I asked, moving closer to her.

She took my hand in her hers. "The quilt we made together when you were seven, the one that you sleep under at night…Follow the pattern."

"Yes, Grandmother, I will."

"And don't forsake what you believe in. It's what is in a person's heart that makes them who they are."

"OK, Grammy," I cried.

"Come here, baby." She smiled and held her arms open.

I hugged her, clinging to her while I sobbed. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Gwendolyn. I'll give your love to your parents."

I buried my face in her hair, breathing in the scent of sandalwood and rose.

A few minutes later she died. Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled, and I was left alone with a memory.

_End Flashback_

As I wiped the tears from my eyes, reliving one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, I remembered what I had to do. I went into my bedroom and grabbed my quilt. On it were patches that I had made, with my grandmother's help. The stitching on it was done by Grandmother. When I was little, I didn't understand the significance of such a creation that was the Prophecy Quilt.

The Prophecy Quilt is something that all of my kind had done; it was a guide to the events of your life. My first patch showed a sun rising over blue, jagged peaks- my birth in Washington. The next patch showed a river. This one had a double meaning- the death of my parents and the flow of life. The third patch depicted a book with Greek writing. Grandmother had found this patch to be humorous considering I studied and excelled in Latin throughout school rather than Greek. The fourth patch was pure black, except for two light green circles in the middle- my cat Tasha who I got for my sixteenth birthday. The fifth patch was of a wilting rose- Grandmother's death. Roses were her favorite flower, and she always smelled of them. The final patch on the quilt depicted a silhouette of a man- tall, lean, with curly blonde hair. No details, no explanation of who he was. My grandmother had thought it unusual that my quilt was so short, but she never worried.

"Grandmother, what do I do?" I whispered, searching the quilt for something that could lead me to my next event.

"_Meow!"_ Tasha jumped onto my nightstand, and caused something to fall on the floor.

"Clumsy cat," I said, "What did you do?"

She looked at me with her glowing green eyes. Her jet-black tail flicked downwards.

I glanced at the floor and saw my magnifying glass. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands.

"What the hell do I do with this?" I sighed. Then I looked at my quilt. Realization dawned on me. "Grammy, you better be right…"

I studied my quilt with the magnifying glass, and what I saw startled me. The stitching was no ordinary stitching- it was in Latin. Leave it to Isadora Grayson to come up with that!

I quickly translated the phrases surrounding the patches of past events, and found they were just as important, if not more so, than the pictures. I came to the final patch and read it.

"_Is quisnam est prognatus of bellum mos servo vos. Lemures of suus preteritus vestigium suus viscus. Caveo frustra pectus pectoris of lupus. _Wow, how did I not notice that was there?" I asked Tasha.

She blinked lazily at me and flicked her ears back. That was her way of saying I was stupid.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "Now for the translation: _He who is born of war will save you. The ghosts of his past mark his flesh. Beware the mistaken heart of the wolf._ Totally cryptic. Thanks, Grammy!" I sighed. "But where the hell do I find this dude?"

I put my stuff away and headed for the study. Tasha followed me, her bell jingling with each step.

"You know what I'm going to do, don't ya?" I asked my furry shadow.

In response, Tasha ran ahead of me into the open study, and sat patiently next to the obsidian orb.

I've never had much luck with scrying, but I had to try. Most people in our world used the stereotypical crystal ball, but Grandmother had said that obsidian was more traditional.

I sat on the chair across from it and relaxed. I cleared my mind, and gazed into the blackness of the orb. For a minute nothing happened, but then images began to appear. Tasha jumped off the table and hid under my chair, spooked by the sudden magic in the air. The images came quickly, but I was able to catch each one. A suitcase, a car, a piece of silverware, and the most handsome man I had ever seen- his eyes were golden fire, and they burned right through my soul. Then the images turned more gruesome. There was blood, a battle, and a pain that flooded through my body and caused me to cry out.

I sat for a moment gasping, trying to make sense of what I had seen. A suitcase and car…That means travel…The guy that I had seen could be the same guy on my quilt, and the silverware…What could it mean?

I walked over to the map of Washington state on the far wall of the room. Tasha stood by my side, looking up at it. My fingers danced over the different towns and cities. Then I saw it. The place I had to go.

"Forks," I whispered, and Tasha purred loudly.

**A/N: ****If there are mistakes in the Latin, it's not my fault! It's the website I went to!**

**Reviews are like Jasper sneaking into your room at night! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. This is dedicated to my best friend, who is totally awesome. Her character is introduced in this chapter, and will be present throughout the story.**

**Disclaimer: Is there even the possibility that I own Twilight and its characters? *shakes head* **

I immediately called my cousin who lived in Forks. I needed a place to stay, and it had been a while since we had hung out.

"_Hello?"_ I could hear the laughter in her voice. She must be with her boyfriend.

"Hey, Melody! How's my favorite cousin?" I asked, a smile in my voice.

She squealed in delight. _"Gwendolyn! God, I haven't heard from you since Isadora passed. Is everything okay?"_ she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I guess. Listen, I'm planning a trip to Forks, and I was wondering-"

"_Stay with me! Seriously, girl, no hotels for you. You're like my sister. You will stay at my apartment!" _There was no questioning with her.

"Okay, thanks, Mel. I'll try not to stay too long. I wouldn't want to wear out my welcome."

"_Gwen, don't be absurd! You can stay as long as you want." _

"That's very sweet, Mel. Thanks!"

"_By the way, why do you need to come here?"_

"Can't I visit with my little cousin?" I asked, not wanting to get into the details of the prophecy.

"_Hey! I'm only younger by a couple of years, and I've known you long enough to know when something is up."_

"Is Seth in the room?" I asked. If he was, Melody and I couldn't have a conversation about our practices, since Melody is hiding that fact from him. Unfairly, might I add.

She sighed. _"Yeah. So it has to do with that…?"_

"Yeah. So I'll see you tomorrow, if that isn't too soon for you?"

Like a veil had been lifted, her friendly, non-secretive personality reappeared. _"It's never too soon for you!"_

"Good. Give my love to Seth, and don't do anything I would!" I said, laughing.

"_Of course I won't! You're such a bad influence!"_ she teased. "_Love you! Bye!"_

"Love you, too."

I hung up the phone and proceeded to pack my suitcase. Tasha watched me the entire time, her eyes half-closed and a soft purring filling the room.

"You know what's going to happen, don't you, girl?" I asked, rubbing her head.

She meowed in response, and hopped into my open suitcase.

"What?! I wasn't planning on taking you with me!" I cried indignantly. "Don't I get a say in this?"

She sat on top of my neatly folded clothes, her head held high, and her tail curled tightly around her body. Her eyes were challenging me to argue with her.

"Bloody cat! I really do think you're a human in disguise," I sighed.

Tasha curled up on my clothes and went to sleep, not correcting my theory.

I went into my bathroom and began packing my toiletries. As I was choosing between which shampoo I should bring, the final images from the scrying session came back to me. What did they mean? Was there an upcoming war, or had that happened in the past? And what about the pain I had felt? Grandmother had always said I was extremely empathic. I shivered at the thought of someone experiencing that horrifying pain for any length of time.

"Get it together, Gwen," I muttered to myself. "No need to open your heart to people's pain. Again."

A problem I had faced as a teenager (well, besides all the usual ones) was developing this empathy for people. Everyone criticized me for not caring about a person's feelings, when in reality, I _shared_ their emotions. I had to close off my heart to the world because I couldn't handle the clashing emotions. Why I wasn't more screwed-up back then is a mystery.

"At least now I can control it. Right, Tasha?" I asked the fur ball in my suitcase as I walked back into my room.

She flicked her ear at me. She was completely careless of my problems.

"Thanks. Now where the hell is my flat-iron?"

As I opened my bathroom closet, something landed on my head and fell to the floor. It wasn't heavy, and when I looked down, I saw that it was a letter. What the hell was that doing in my bathroom?

"I swear to God, one day I'm going to step into my shower, and a damn elephant will be in there," I grumbled.

I picked up the white envelope and saw that it was empty. Hmm…No help there, but then I saw the address on the envelope; it was in Forks.

It was then that I realized Grandmother's spirit was leading me to my destiny. But what that destiny was, was a mystery.

I stared at my quilt, at the picture of the man who was at the center of the mystery.

What part would he play in my life?

**A/N: Next chapter will take place in Forks! Review, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this update is late. I got a bit tied up with some work...Anyway, this chapter is longer than the others, and has the Cullens' first appearance in it. Oh, and I changed Seth's appearance a bit...Don't get mad! Enjoy!**

By ten a.m. the next morning, I was on the road to Forks. My blue 68 Mustang sped down the highway, "Ignorance" by Paramore playing on the radio. My grandmother had restored the car for me, and now it could take on any sports car that came its way. My purse, which was on the passenger seat, gave an aggravated hiss.

"You wanted to come with me, Tasha, and you refused your carrier. Now deal with it!" I said.

A black head popped out of my bag, glowing green eyes locked on me.

"Tasha, Forks is only two hours away, and then you can wreak havoc in Melody's apartment," I reasoned.

She flicked her eyes and closed her eyes. She liked that plan.

The drive to my cousin's apartment was pretty uneventful, except for a couple losers cutting me off; I got back with them by sabotaging their engines _the special way_.

When I arrived in Forks, the small town was such a contrast to city life. Sure, I lived on the outskirts of a city, almost in the country, but ten minutes away from my driveway was a busy intersection. I was able to locate Melody's condominium building by her detailed directions- "take a left here, take a right here, and you're there." Always the descriptive one…

It didn't take me long to decode her directions, and soon I was in front of a small, grey, two-story building. I grabbed my purse (with the fur ball inside) and my two suitcases (with enough clothes to last me for two weeks.) I pushed the buzzer for apartment B3.

"_Hello?"_

"Guess who!" I practically shouted in my excitement.

"_Oh my god! Get up here right now!"_

The door unlocked, and I went up the stairs (no elevators) and found floor B, and then apartment 3. I didn't even have to knock on the door; Melody was waiting for me.

"Gwendolyn! Haven't seen you in ages it seems like!" She pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I've missed you, too!"

When we pulled apart, I surveyed my cousin. Her hair was dark brown with honey highlights, and was shoulder length, framing her round face. She was tanner than me, but with my abnormally pale skin, _everyone_ was tanner than me. She was taller than me by five inches, but was younger than me by five years. I remember bribing her when she was a baby to eat different flowers that grew in our backyard. Her hazel eyes were filled with happiness, and I laughed softly.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You've gotten older. What happened to that little girl that followed me around like a lost puppy?" I asked.

"My god, Gwen; Are you being sentimental?" Mel asked, her voice in mock disbelief.

I punched her lightly in the arm. "Shut up!"

"Come inside and get settled. Your room is the second door to the left!"

Unlike most of the other apartments, Melody had two bedrooms in hers. I walked into my room, and put my suitcases down next to the closet; I would unpack later. I set my purse on the bed and Tasha walked out, stretching.

"Not too cramped I hope?" I asked her.

She purred, and rubbed her head affectionately against my leg.

"Good girl," I murmured.

I heard a knock come from the door of the apartment, and then Melody called for me.

I walked out of my room, Tasha following, and saw Melody with a tall man, his hair light brown with blonde highlights. He had an easy smile, and light blue eyes.

"Gwendolyn, this is Seth Clearwater. Seth, this my cousin Gwen," Mel introduced us.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," he held out his hand, and I shook it. It was unusually warm, but I could feel his energetic personality.

"Nice to meet you… Finally. All my little cousin talks about is you." I smiled at Melody, watching the blush rise in her cheeks.

"Really, sweetheart?" Seth wrapped his arms around Melody, and for once she wasn't the tallest; Seth was taller by at least six inches. "My Melody Lunae?"

I smiled as he used her full name. My Aunt Jasmine had given her the name "Melody of the Moon." Mel and I had asked her why she chose that name, and she replied, "It came to me in a dream."

Melody was drowning in the love that I could feel emanating from Seth. He looked a bit young, but I knew for a fact he was nineteen. When I was nineteen, I would have given anything for a love like theirs. It was so pure, so true…It reminded me of the reason I came to Forks in the first place.

"Okay, while you two get a room, I'll be doing…" I gave my "you know what shit I'm talking about" look to Melody.

She nodded. "Okay. Do you have the…" I had told her about the addressed envelope.

"Yep. Let me grab my purse, and I'll be gone.'

Seth had a very confused look on his face, but was quickly distracted when Melody kissed him.

I was jealous.

Quickly running back to my room, grabbing my purse and car keys, with Tasha on my heels, and I noticed that her tail was fluffed out a bit. Had Seth scared her?

I ran out of the apartment just as Seth had Mel against the wall. Yeah, I wasn't going to return for quite a while…

As my car sped out of the lot, I grabbed the envelope out of my bag. Tasha sat next to my purse, her gaze focused on the envelope.

"Where do you suppose this will take us?" I asked her, trying to find the street name written.

She blinked at me, and watched out the side window.

"No help at all."

It took me about half an hour to find the place because it was way back in the woods. Huge trees lined the driveway up to a quaint house, which had had renovations done to it. I pulled up in front of the house, and noticed a huge garage attached to the side. I wonder what kind of cars they have…

I got out and picked Tasha up; I was always afraid she would run away, but she never did. She pressed her head against my cheek, as if to reassure me; she could feel how tense I was. As I walked up to the front door, I felt the sensation of some one watching me. Tasha laid her ears back.

I knocked quickly and pressed Tasha to my chest. Her claws dug into my shoulder.

Five seconds later the door was answered by a very handsome man. He was tall, blonde hair, and looked to be about thirty.

"May I help you?" he asked. His voice was gentle, and I noticed the color of his eyes: topaz.

"Um…yes." _Very smooth, Gwen._ "I was told to come here. I'm Gwendolyn Grayson."

His eyes flickered with recognition of the name, but his face didn't betray anything. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you. Who sent you?"

"My grandmother, Isadora Grayson. She told me to come here."

"I don't believe I knew her. I'm sorry."

It looked as if he might close the door on me, so I tapped into his emotions. I kind feel his kind heart, his sympathy, his…deception?

"You're lying!" I said. "You know who my grandmother was! You know why I'm here!" I was practically seething with anger.

He looked ashamed, and replied, "Yes. I know who she was. When I heard of her passing, I knew it was only a matter of time before her family started to ask questions. Please, Ms. Grayson, come in." He held open the door for me, and I hesitantly stepped inside.

Tasha was pushing against me, wanting me to put her down.

"Shush, babe. You can't go wandering."

"It's okay," the man replied. "No one in this house is allergic to cats."

With that, Tasha jumped to the floor and stared at the man.

"Oh, my apologies," he said quickly. "I'm Carlisle Cullen."

"Hello, Mr. Cullen," I said and shook his hand. I was shocked at how cold he felt.

"Actually, it's _Dr._ Cullen, but feel free to call me Carlisle." He smiled a dazzling white smile.

I blushed lightly. "Okay, Carlisle, as long as you call me Gwen."

"Okay," he replied, smiling.

I looked around the room and saw that we were standing in a big foyer, a grand piano in the center, and the far wall made of glass.

"You have a beautiful house," I said in awe.

"Thank you. Won't you please join us in the sitting room?"

I nodded, and before either of us could move, Tasha walked in front of us, tail held high.

"You certainly have a clever cat, he chuckled as we followed.

"Yeah," I sighed. "She's more human than most people are. A sad fact, really."

"Yes. I've seen my fair share of human tragedies," Carlisle said.

"Working as a doctor, you mean?" I asked.

He looked a little shocked at what he had said, but his cool demeanor erased this. "Yes, that's what I meant. Here's the sitting room." He gestured to a large room that had several sofas in it, along with two plasma screen TVs. I noticed four people staring at us when we walked in, and I had to block their emotions.

"This is Gwendolyn Grayson," Carlisle introduced me. "Gwendolyn, these are my wife and adopted children: Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice."

All of them were breathtakingly beautiful, the kind of people who would be models. And they all had the same strange eyes…

I looked from face to face, letting my emotional guard down. Esme was content and happy to meet me, Emmett was completely at ease, with his arm around Rosalie, who looked like she wanted to kill me. Alice was a different case: she had a smile on her face, but she felt sad, like she was losing someone.

"It's nice to meet you, Gwendolyn." Esme got up and shook my hand, her skin as cold and hard as her husband's.

The others gave quiet greetings, not moving from their seats. I felt like they wanted me to leave.

"Please, sit," Esme took my hand and guided me to one of the leather couches in the room. Tasha followed, her bell making the only sound in the room. As I sat down, she jumped into my lap, like she was protecting me. Rosalie looked a bit disgusted.

"Cute cat," Emmett said, looking at his apparent girlfriend. "What's her name?"

"Tasha," I said, stroking her soft fur. She was giving me courage.

Emmett reached out to pet her, but Tasha hissed at him. He pulled his hand back, startled.

"What the hell?" he asked, Tasha's green eyes staring into his golden ones.

"She does that to everyone she meets. Don't take it personally." I had to smile; Tasha always hated people when she first met them, but then she would come to love them.

"So what brings you to Forks, Gwen?" Esme asked, trying to break her children's silence.

"Well, it's a complicated story," I sighed. "And you probably won't believe any of it…"

"Try us," Emmett dared playfully.

I smiled; he seemed nice. "Okay…I'm a witch."

I could sense their surprise and disbelief at my statement. Then Emmett started laughing hysterically.

"That's great! You're a witch! Yeah, right!" he gasped out.

Anger welled up inside me, and Tasha could tell what was going to happen. I focused my gaze on him, and he suddenly began to float.

"What the f-" he started to say before I dropped his ass back on the couch.

"Funny now?" I asked, my attitude coming back to me.

"So you're serious?" Rosalie asked, looking slightly amused. "You can do magic?"

"Yep. Want another demonstration?" I asked, always happy to flaunt my powers when I could.

"Yes, please," Carlisle said.

I held my hand out, palm up, and suddenly a red rose appeared, floating in midair. I twirled it around with my mind, and then it caught on fire. The ashes filled my palm, but didn't burn me. I took a deep breath and blew them out of my hand. The ashes were frozen in the air, and I turned them to diamonds. Light bounced off of them, filling the room with rainbows. With another breath, the diamonds disappeared, and the scent of sandalwood and rose hung in the air.

"Incredible," Carlisle murmured. "Simply incredible."

"Awesome!" Emmett shouted. "Do you fly on a broom, too?"

I laughed. "That's a misconception, and only some of us have the ability to levitate."

"Can you?" Carlisle asked eagerly. Looks like a lit a spark in his medical brain.

I sat Tasha on the floor and crossed my legs. I closed my eyes, and when I heard gasps I knew that I was hovering in midair. But when I opened my eyes, I fell back onto the sofa.

"I'm relatively new to the whole levitation thing, so I can only do it in short periods of time, and I have to concentrate solely on it."

"Cool," Rosalie said, and she was really in awe.

"Why are you here?" I heard a voice say. I turned my head to the pixie-like girl Alice. Her voice was like wind-chimes. "Why have you come to Forks? To our house?"

Here we go. I opened my purse and took the quilt out.

"A prophecy quilt?" he whispered.

I was shocked he knew what it was.

"I know all about Isadora's practices, Gwendolyn. We were good friends," he said in response to my shock.

How could he know my grandmother? He looked only thirty-five, and she was eighty-five when she died. I shook the question away and unfolded the quilt.

"Him," I said, and pointed to the patch with the mystery man on it. "He's the reason I'm here."

Suddenly Alice burst into sobbing, her face buried in her petite hands.

The others recognized the image on the quilt, and exchanged glances.

"What do you want with him?" Emmett asked, his voice lethal.

Whoa. Did not see this coming. "Do you know him?" I asked carefully.

Alice looked up at me, her eyes watery, but there were no tears. "He's my husband."

What…the…f…?

**A/N: Cliffy! OK, so the next chapter will be up by Friday (at the latest! I'm hoping to get Chapter 4 done by tomorrow!) Remember, reviews=sparkly vampires!**


	4. Chapter 4

"I think you should leave," Rosalie growled at me.

Tasha jumped back onto my lap, hissing at her. I was genuinely terrified, and I started to get off the sofa slowly, holding Tasha to me.

"I'm- I'm sorry. I'll just be going," I muttered.

"No, don't Gwendolyn," Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder. "I know what this is about, but they don't. You have to explain it to them." His eyes stared deeply into mine.

I nodded. "Okay. I'll do it for Isadora's sake, and if they still hate me, I'll leave and never come back to bother you."

Carlisle smiled at me gently. "I assure you, they do not hate you."

I shook my head, not believing his words. I sat back on the couch, Esme and Carlisle sitting on either side of me. _For protection_, I realized.

Rosalie still looked murderous, Alice sniffed every now and then, but had gotten herself together, and Emmett kept his arm around Rosalie; I wasn't sure whether he was showing his support of his girlfriend or keeping her from attacking me.

"You knew about this, Carlisle? That she was going to destroy our family?" Rosalie hissed.

"Rose, let's here what Gwendolyn has to say first before we start making accusations. Go ahead, Gwen," Esme said softly.

I took a deep breath, and told them everything. How my entire family was involved with witchcraft, how my parents died, how the prophecy quilt worked, and what my patches and stitching meant. I even told them about the scrying session. When I finished, I looked down, not wanting to meet any of their gazes.

"You've been through a lot of misfortune. I'm so sorry," Esme said, resting her icy hand on top of mine.

"Misfortune and mysteries are what my life is made of," I sighed. "It's been that way for all of my people."

"'People' as in…?" Emmett asked.

"Witches. Warlocks. My dad was a warlock, but my mom was one of the common folk. Like you guys," I said.

Emmett smirked and they all exchanged a glance with one another. "Yeah, something like that," he said.

Before I could ask for clarification, Alice said, in a quiet voice, "Is he destined for you? Is that what the Latin means?"

I looked at her, and saw the torment and despair in her eyes. "I honestly can't say, but I think that's what it means."

"But you don't know for certain," she argued. "You could just be friends!"

"True," I nodded slowly. "But the last patch on the quilt ends with him, which means my life will end when I am with…" I had to think of what she called him. "…Jasper."

"But the Latin says 'save you,' not 'love you,'" Carlisle said.

"I know. But with our practices, there comes a lot of conjecture. Nothing is set in stone," I said.

"Just like the future," Alice whispered. "Everything is subjective. People can change their minds…"

We all stared at her. It seemed like the thought of losing her husband was driving her insane.

"Shh, Ali," Rosalie got up and moved to where her sister sat. "It's okay. Jasper loves you more than anything in the world; he'd never leave you." She stroked Alice's spiky hair, her arms wrapped around her.

"I know, Rose. It's just…" she trailed off, and then her eyes widened, but it seemed like she was seeing things that weren't in the room.

"Alice? What is it?" Carlisle asked, moving to her side.

Her lips quivered, but no sound came out. Carlisle looked at his family, who was equally startled.

"Is she okay?" I asked, starting to worry. I was afraid she was having some sort of fit.

"Yeah, she does this sometimes. I guess you could say that she's our own crystal ball," Emmett chuckled.

"Emmett!" Esme scolded.

"What? It's not like Gwen's normal. She must know all about us," he said.

"Know what about you?" I asked, confused.

Alice blinked her eyes several times, refocusing them. "I have to go," she said, and walked hurriedly out of the room.

"Is she okay?" I asked again. I was worried about her.

"Just let her be," Esme said. "She'll be fine."

"I'm going to make sure," Rosalie said, and walked out after Alice.

"Hey, I don't mean to be trouble. I just-" I started to apologize.

Carlisle put his hand up. "We understand. We truly do. It's just something that we're going to have to sort out. Now, I think the first step would be for you to meet Jasper."

I got nervous. What if he hated me, too? What if he thought I was a home wrecker, like Rosalie did?

"Jasper, come down here," Carlisle called.

I wasn't sure how he had heard, but I soon heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and then a figure appeared. He looked exactly like he had in the obsidian orb, only more realistic. His hair was a mess of golden curls, his body stature was slightly tense, and his eyes pierced my soul. W stared at each other for several seconds, or maybe it was hours. From his emotions, I could tell he had heard our conversation. He was slightly intimidating, but I felt a connection towards him. I could feel something inside me pulling me towards him, to be closer to him, but I stood my ground. Wait…when did I stand up?

"Hello. I'm Jasper Hale," he finally said.

"I'm Gwendolyn Grayson," I said.

"Pleasure to meet you." He held his hand out, and I resisted the urge to throw my arms around him. When our skin touched, a spark went through my body, causing me to gasp. His body was still tense, his eyes wide with alarm. Had he felt it, too?

When we moved away from each other, his brow was furrowed, his eyes observing me. Then he said the words that shocked the hell out of me.

"You're an empath, too."

Not a question- a statement of fact.

I nodded. "Yes. So I'm not the only freak, then?"

He shook his head, his blonde locks bouncing slightly. "No. But can you manipulate emotions as well as feel them?"

I had never thought that it was possible.

He nodded, contemplating this.

I heard someone cough, and remembered that we weren't the only ones in the room. I blushed, not knowing what to do.

"Perhaps," Carlisle began, "You two should talk alone. See what you can make of this whole…predicament."

"Nicely put," I said. I turned to Jasper. "You want to?"

"Okay. Let's take a walk through the forest," he suggested.

I nodded. I looked down at Tasha, who was sitting beside my feet. "Are you going to stay here, or come with us?"

She stretched her legs, then looked up at me and headed for the door.

"Great. A chaperone," I joked.

Jasper laughed softly. "Come on."

He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out the back door. Even as we walked toward the river that ran behind their house, I could feel his family's eyes on us.

"So…You really can do magic?" he asked lamely.

I chuckled. "Yeah. Nothing really spectacular, unlike Grandmother. She was very powerful. She was actually the head of our coven."

He turned to me. "You call your family groups covens?"

"Yes. It's like a tradition. Now enough about me. I want to hear about you."

He sighed. "Well, Carlisle adopted Rosie and me when we were little. He adopted Alice soon after that, and we became inseparable. Emmett is my best friend, and Edward-"

"Wait." I stopped him. "Who's Edward?"

"Oh, he's on his honeymoon with his wife, Bella. The ceremony was only three weeks ago," he replied.

"My grandmother died three weeks ago," I whispered.

"The end of a life, and the beginning of a new one. Very poetic," Jasper observed.

I tried to read his emotions, but he blocked them, somehow. Hmm…

"Back at the house, when Emmett called Alice 'our own crystal ball,' what did he mean?" I asked.

"I don't know if I should tell you…" Jasper said uncertainly.

"I'm a freaking witch! I know there are weird things out there." I was getting pissed off at their secrecy.

"Okay! Okay, I'll tell you. Just relax."

A wave of calmness came over me. "Tell me," I said evenly.

Jasper gestured to a large boulder, and we sat on it. Tasha curled up on the rock, tired from the day's excitement. "Alice can see the future, but it's only based on one's choices. It can change. I might as well tell you that Edward can read minds, except for Bella's."

"Why can't he-?"

"Don't know. It's a mystery. Didn't you mention that you had family in the area?"

Changing the subject. Of course. "Yeah, my cousin Melody. She's dating this guy named Seth Clearwater. Do you know him?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's good friends with Edward. Not so thrilled about his buddy Black, though," Jasper practically growled.

"Jacob? Melody's met him a couple times, but she said he was okay. Lonely, but sweet."

"Maybe Edward's feelings are mixing with my own. I know he loathes Black."

I thought this over, and was about to ask Jasper why when a large creature ran by us. One second I was on the boulder, the next I was twenty feet away, with Jasper crouched in front of me. Tasha was completely flared, her back arched.

"What the hell are you doing on our property? Leave, dog!" Jasper growled.

The oversized, russet-brown wolf glared at Jasper, then turned its attention to me. He tried to approach but Jasper wouldn't let him get near me. I don't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Then a familiar figure stepped out of the woods near us, breathing hard.

"Hale, chill out. Don't kill him," Seth said, walking towards us. "Do your power thing."

Jasper raised an eyebrow at Seth, but I could feel him reading the wolf's emotions. His eyes widened.

"Oh hell no," he sighed.

"Yeah. I couldn't stop him from coming over. He picked up her scent, and it just clicked."

I looked from Jasper to Seth, wondering what the hell was going on.

The wolf whined, and Jasper said, "Turn around."

I was slightly scared, but I did as I was told. I heard a rustling sound behind me, then Jasper's hands on my shoulders.

"Gwen, meet Jacob Black." His contempt for the guy was evident.

Hardly believing my eyes, there was a guy where the wolf had been a second ago. He had short black hair, tan skin (like Seth's), and dark eyes. His upper body was pure muscle; I could tell because he didn't have a shirt on.

"I'm Jacob," he said, and I could feel awe coming from him.

"Gwen Grayson," I said, unsure of whether I was going to pass out. "You're the dog thing?"

He nodded stiffly. "Yeah, we're all werewolves in the rez."

I gasped. I looked at Seth. "You, too?"

"Yep. I asked Melody not to tell you." He looked at Jacob, and he was shocked that he gave away their big secret to a stranger.

"But she's like my sister! I have a right to know _what_ my sister is going out with!"

"Do you know what _he_ is?" Jacob asked, coming closer to me. "The guy you were alone in the woods with?"

"Jasper? He's normal, apart from him being empathic."

Jacob snorted.

"Don't do this, pup!" Jasper hissed.

"He's a _vampire_!"

Then I felt my body hit the forest floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I updated Chapter 4 bc my best friend (I'll call her Melody, since she's the inspriation for the character) pointed out some errors. This chapter is dedicated to Lost Betwixt Worlds and sirripojken for being the first to review! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I own nothing but the OCs in this story.**

When I regained consciousness, I found myself back in the Cullens' house, Carlisle, Jacob, Seth, and, having just joined the party, Melody. Jasper was probably with Alice…

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked me. "I don't believe you have a concussion, but you should rest for a while. The shock of everything overwhelmed you." He shot a glance at Jacob.

I nodded, agreeing. Then I glared daggers at Mel. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She kneeled beside the sofa that I was lying on. "I'm so sorry, Gwen. I wanted to, but Seth made me promise! I couldn't betray him." I could tell she was close to crying. We never kept secrets from each other.

"Maybe you could have if you had been honest with him," I whispered.

Her breath caught in her throat, and now I could tell she was about to cry.

"Mel? What's the matter, baby?" Seth walked over and put his arms around her. "Why are you crying? Gwen's fine. She'll live. What's wrong?"

He was so concerned for her. I felt bad for bringing on Mel's tears, but a healthy relationship is based on trust. Then I realized that Jasper nor Carlisle told either of the werewolves about our background…

"Seth, I need to tell you something…" She sniffed, and he wiped away the tears that had escaped with his thumbs.

"What is it?" He cupped her face in his hands.

"I'm a…" She looked at me, and I nodded. "I'm a witch."

Seth's face went completely blank, then he dropped his hands away from her face. "Whoa."

"Whoa? Is that all you can say? I just told you I was a witch! For the five months we've been going out, I've kept that secret from you, and all you can say is 'whoa'?"

Seth shrugged. "I love you. That's all I know. If you had something to hide, I knew you would tell me at the right time. No big deal."

"No big deal?! You do realize I could obliterate you to a pile of ashes right now! I could easily take you down when you're phased!"

I couldn't help myself. I started to laugh. Everyone in the room jumped, and Carlisle was worried that I had brain damage.

"I'm fine!" I gasped out. "It's just Mel's reaction! Drama queen!" I teased. "The guy must love you more than life itself for that not to bother him!"

Then that reminded me of what Jacob had accused Jasper of being. I looked at him, and he knelt by me; the heat from his body caused me to get goose bumps.

"Is it true?" I asked.

He nodded, not needing clarification. "Yes. Isn't it, Dr. Cullen?" He turned to Carlisle.

"Yes, it's true. But I believe that Jasper should be the one to tell Gwen, not you." Carlisle's voice was stern.

"But-but in the forest, Jasper told me that he and- and Rosalie were twins, and…" I couldn't comprehend.

"That's our cover story so people won't ask too many questions," Carlisle answered.

"He lied to me." I felt the confusion melt from my body and anger ran through my veins. "That bastard lied to me!"

I got up from the couch and pushed past Jacob. "Where is he? I demand an explanation!"

"Gwendolyn, calm down." Melody walked over to me and led me back to the couch. "You've been through a lot, and trying to fight a vampire would be a losing battle."

"Did you know?" I asked her. "About them being vampires?"

She sighed, and let her hair cover her face. "Not exactly. Seth told me the legends, but I wasn't sure what to make of them. I'm sorry I never told you," she cried.

"God, Mel, pull yourself together! Your mascara is running!" I couldn't take seeing her cry- it would make me cry. I put my arms around her, and we sat like that for several minutes.

"Okay, so I need to get something cleared up," Jacob said, and Melody moved off the couch to make room for him. "If she's a witch, and you're her cousin, then are you-?"

"Yep. More powerful than her, actually. I was taught by the best." I smirked. "Scared?"

"No. It's just interesting that Seth and I both imprinted on witches…" his voice trailed off.

"Imprint? What the hell is that?" I asked, shifting away from him.

"Gwen, chill. It's no big deal. Well, actually it is, but don't worry about it," Melody said, and smiled for the first time since I woke up. "When a werewolf imprints, that means that he's found his true love. And the 'imprintee', if you will, always has the choice to back out of the relationship, but no one ever does because you're made for each other. A perfect match," she sighed, and cuddled into Seth's embrace.

I looked back to Jacob. "You've just met me for the first time, and you're in love with me?" I asked incredulously.

"Basically," he laughed self-consciously. "Don't you feel a connection towards me?"

I let my emotional guard down, and I explored his feelings. Love was the prominent one, and there was concern, loneliness, and contentedness. I could feel his connection to me, but there was none from me.

"Nope. Sorry. Nothing." I shrugged.

Jacob looked heartbroken, and I realized how passive I must have sounded. "Is it supposed to be like love at first sight?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's how it was for Seth and me," Mel replied, her brow furrowed.

"Remarkable," Carlisle stated, and I forgot he was in the room. He had a look on his face like, "I should totally be taking notes."

I took Jacob's hand in mine and squeezed it. "We could hang out together, see if that sparks anything?"

Jacob smiled. "I would like that. But what about the scarred leech?"

It took me a minute to realize he was talking about Jasper. "I'll be hanging out with him, too. See if any of the mysteries of the quilt will be revealed," I said in a dramatic voice.

Everyone laughed. "God, my quilt was so confusing! And I still don't know which patch is the last one!" Melody whined.

"That's what you get for doing yours with Aunt Jasmine. She is so scatterbrained that she forgot to put you in the car for your first day of school!" Melody was getting pissed, but I was laughing. "And she drove off without you!"

She was about to say something when Seth wrapped his arms around her waist. "Aw, my poor Melody Lunae. You never told me that." At once her angry dissolved and she was wrapped up in Seth. Again.

"You two seriously need to get a room, preferably one that is not in Melody's apartment," I teased. I got up and grabbed my purse. I looked around, realizing that I hadn't seen Tasha since the forest mishap.

"Tasha? Come here, girl. Where are you?" I called.

"I believe she's in the kitchen," Carlisle said. "Jacob and Seth's wolf-scent was intimidating her, so Esme is looking after her."

I smiled, relieved. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Now, when will we be expecting you again?" Carlisle's eyes had a knowing-glint to them.

"I don't know…"

"Tomorrow!" Melody answered for me. "I'll make sure she's here early tomorrow afternoon, and she'll spend the day with Jasper." Her eyes darted to Jacob, but she was speaking to Carlisle. "Is that okay?"

"Perfectly fine. It has been an honor." Carlisle smiled at me, and I blushed.

"Nice meeting you, too. Come on, Mel. Let's go home." I grabbed Melody's arm and hurried out of the room. When we got to the front door, I realized we had been followed by our werewolves.

I sighed. "Come here, Tasha."

At once I heard her bell jingling and she came running towards me, careful to keep away from the boys.

"It's all right, honey. Yeah, did you have a good time?" I crooned as I picked Tasha up. She snuggled into my chest, and I could tell Jacob wanted to do that. _Boys,_ I cursed mentally.

"Seth, why don't you drive Jake back home, and I'll catch a ride with Gwen," Melody said. Seth agreed, and before we could get out the door, they were kissing again.

I groaned. "Come on!" I grabbed her arm and pulled her away before the situation could escalate.

When Melody and I had gotten into the car, I asked, "Why were you so set on Jake knowing that I would be with Jasper?"

"Because," she said, "It will make him jealous." She winked.

I shook my head. "And I thought _I_ was the evil one! Wow, Mel."

"Come on. We have to decide what you'll wear tomorrow!"

As Melody babbled on about which outfit would be the most revealing, I glanced a look at one of the windows on the second story. I saw a figure with golden hair watching our departure.

Or was he just watching mine?

**A/N: Reviews are very much appreciated. They make me feel loved! And if you have suggestions for this story, PM me!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: All right! Thanks so much for all of you who have reviewed and favorited my story! You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!! :)**

**Disclaimer: Don't...Own...TWILIGHT!**

The next morning I woke up at nine. Tasha was curled up on the pillow next to me, and when I rolled out of bed, she moved to sleep in my spot.

"Of course," I sighed. "Even if I wanted to get more rest, I couldn't. Thanks."

I walked into the hallway and heard snoring coming from Mel's room. _Huh,_ I thought. _I didn't know she snored._

I took my shower, making sure to use plenty of vanilla-scented body wash. I dried off and wrapped myself in a towel before heading back to my room. Tasha was still asleep, as was Melody. I put on the outfit that Mel had picked out for me the night before: skinny jeans with a simple black sweater. Melody wanted me to wear a tank top, but I couldn't bring myself to wear something like that to what may-or-may-not-be a first date. I put on my old sneakers, not knowing where Jasper and I would be going. When I looked at myself in the vanity mirror, I decided I should wear my hair up; that way I could show off my neck and shoulders.

When I walked out to the kitchen, I saw Melody cooking waffles. Her hair was tousled, and she had on her short, silky robe.

"Morning, sleepy-head," I said as I walked into the kitchen.

I obviously startled her, because she almost dropped the bowl she was holding. "Good morning, I thought you were still in bed."

"No. I've been up for an hour. Why are so jumpy?" I asked, looking her over.

Just then, the reason walked into the room shirtless. "Oh, good morning, Gwen. I thought you were still asleep," Seth said, a sheepish smile on his lips. Besides being shirtless, which happened to show off his _amazing _body, he was only wearing boxers.

"Nope." I smiled knowingly. "Well, I'll let you two lovebirds have some alone time." I winked at Melody, who blushed, and walked back to my room.

Tasha sat on my bed, watching as I closed the door.

"I guess it was Seth who's the snorer," I giggled. "I won't go back out there until he's gone."

I put my make-up on and fixed my hair in a bun. I then sat on my bed for the next twenty minutes, flipping through songs on my iPod. Finally I heard the apartment door close, and I figured it was safe to come out.

Melody was sitting on the sofa, and when she saw me, she blushed again.

"So Seth snuck in last night? You know you're not allowed to have boys in your room!" I imitated her mother perfectly.

She began to laugh. "Yeah, well, I'm not in high school anymore!"

I laughed. "I have been such a bad influence on you!"

"Yes, you have." Her eyes looked me over. "You look good. Jasper won't be able to keep his hands off you!"

I sat beside her on the couch. "Yeah, about that. Um, when Jake said Jasper was a vampire, does that mean…?"

"Oh, god no!" Melody looked horrified. "No, the Cullens only drink animal blood. No humans whatsoever."

I sighed in relief. "Thank god."

"Yeah. Now today you should let Jasper tell you all about himself. He already knows about you, but you know nothing about him."

"So keep my mouth shut?" I asked.

"Exactly." She smiled. "Do you want to go on a double date with me and Seth Friday night? You can bring Jacob."

"I'm not going to be able to handle this." I put my head in my hands. "I mean, when I first found out about my significant other, I thought it was going to be so…easy. Then I met his family, and found out he was married, and then a wolf falls for me, and who I thought was my significant other turns out to be a vampire! I thought being a witch was as complicated as it got!" I knew I was rambling, but I was very stressed out.

"Gwen, chill out," Melody said, and put her arms around me. "It will be fine. Just let the events unfold, and everything will be revealed."

"Okay," I sighed. "Now where's my breakfast? I'm starving!"

After eating a bowl of cereal, since Seth had devoured all of the waffles Melody had made, I decided to head over to the Cullens'.

"Have fun," Melody called as I went out the door.

When I was going down the stairs, I heard a bell behind me. I looked around and saw Tasha walking after me.

"I locked you in my room!" I said. "How the hell did you get out?"

She gave me a critical look, then continued down the steps. I sighed and continued after her. We got into the car, and drove to the Cullen house. Before I could get out of the car, I could tell there was turmoil in the house.

"Tasha, do you want to stay here? I'm afraid someone might eat you."

She glared at me, and looked towards the house.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

I got out of the Mustang, Tasha running after me, and knocked on the front door. After a few seconds, I heard shouting, then something shattered inside the house, followed by more yelling. A minute later, the door opened to reveal Emmett's huge form leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey, Gwen. I thought maybe Rose had scared you off," he chuckled.

"What did she break?" I asked.

"A vase. I'm surprised she's acting this way. Alice is the one who should be upset, but she hasn't had a breakdown since yesterday." Emmett looked towards the staircase, as if wondering what his pixie-sister was doing.

"I know I screwed up a happy family; It never meant to be like this. Now everyone probably loathes me," I moaned.

"Only Rosie, but don't take it to heart. She'll come around. And if she doesn't…" Emmett had a mischievous glint in his topaz eyes, and he pulled out a note that he, apparently, had written.

_Rose is all about her looks. You can screw with them by doing your magic tricks, right?_

I laughed. "Totally. That should keep her off my case?"

"Oh, yeah. Now come on; Jazz is waiting for you on the porch." He led me inside, and Tasha ran off into the kitchen, and I immediately heard Esme's soft voice.

"It seems Tasha has developed a bond to Esme," I observed.

"Is that normal?" Emmett asked.

"Pretty much. When a witch, or a warlock, gets their first pet, they develop a deep connection with that animal, like I have with Tasha. But Tasha was also close to my grandmother, who was like a mother-figure to Tasha, whereas Tasha and I were like best friends. Since Grandmother died, Tasha has been looking for a mother, and found one in Esme." I was feeling quite proud of myself that I could explain that.

"Wow. And I thought being a vampire was complicated." Emmett looked baffled.

I snorted. "Common folk have it easy. They're able to go on with their boring lives, and die when their bodies give up. Not us, who have been curse by the Powers-That-Be!" I shook my fist in the air, and Emmett started laughing.

"I totally hope that the dog didn't imprint on you, cause I totally want you around here!"

"Are you that entertained by me?" I asked, smiling.

"Yep. And you're a freak like us, and us freaks have to stick together! Oh, here he is." Emmett led me to a sliding door, and we walked onto the porch. I could hear the rushing of the river, and the faraway calls of birds. Jasper was laying in a hammock at the far end of the porch, his brow furrowed. When I took a few steps closer, I saw that Alice was standing next to him, talking in hushed tones.

I wasn't quite sure what to do, but Emmett pushed me towards them. Jasper's eyes left Alice's face and rested on mine. His brow smoothed, and a smile played at the corner of his lips.

"Hey, Gwendolyn. I'm sure you've met Alice," he said, nodding to the small vampire beside him.

"Uh, yeah. Hi," I said.

Alice walked over to me, and it was then that I realized how short she truly was. "Can I talk to you later?" she asked, her voice slightly sad.

"Sure," I agreed.

She smiled at me, but it didn't reach her golden eyes. She walked away, as did Emmett, and I was left alone with Jasper.

"Take a seat," he said and pulled up a wooden lawn chair.

"Thanks." I sat down, and Jasper got out of the hammock and pulled up a chair next to me.

I had no idea what to talk about, so I just sat in the chair, looking at my hands folded in my lap.

"You look nice today," Jasper said, breaking the silence.

"Thank you," I replied. A warm blush crept over my cheeks.

"You're cute when you blush," he chuckled, and I blushed more darkly.

It was then that I cursed myself for wearing my hair up, wanting to hide behind the black curtain that it would offer me.

"Would you like me to talk about myself, and about vampires in general?" he asked.

I nodded. "That would be great."

For the next few hours, we sat on the porch, Jasper telling me about him and his past and everything else vampirical. My understanding of their plight grew, as did my compassion for Jasper. I silently forgave him for lying to me yesterday, understanding why he did it. He told me about his part in the Civil War, and the horrific newborn wars. My heart ached for him when he showed me the scars on his arms; I also noticed how muscular he was. Then he began to talk about how he had met Alice, and their life together.

"She gave me hope when I was at my worst, and Carlisle taught me how to tame the monster within me. I'm forever grateful for them. All of them."

"You love her a lot, don't you?" I asked.

He nodded. "She's the only girl that I've ever truly loved."

"You don't have to be with me. The quilt doesn't say we have to fall in love. You can be with her still." All I could think of was poor Alice.

"About that…Alice has had a vision, and she wants to tell you about it. Face-to-face," he added. "She made me promise not to tell you. She wanted you to know me first."

More secrecy. Great. "Okay. Should I talk with her now?"

He looked at his watch. "Yeah. Before dinner."

"Dinner?" I asked.

He smiled. "Esme is cooking for you. She invited your cousin as well."

"Oh. Wow... Thanks," I added quickly, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

"She's in her room. I'll show you."

We got up and went back inside the house. From the kitchen, I could smell different herbs and heard Esme talking to Tasha.

"You know, your cat is the first pet we've had in our house," Jasper said, looking amused.

"I can believe that, since you hunt animals."

"Hey!" he argued, and I could tell he was playing. "We don't eat peoples' pets! Just the wildlife."

"Whatever you say," I laughed.

He led me up the stairs, and down the hall into Alice's room. She was gazing out the window, which had a beautiful view of the forest.

"Hi, Jasper. Hi, Gwendolyn." She flitted across the room to us. Jasper had told me about vampires being super-fast.

"Hi, Alice. You wanted to talk?"

"Yes. Come sit over here. Jasper, could you make sure Esme finds the serving spoon in the second drawer on the right?"

"Sure, Ali. See ya, Gwen." Jasper headed back downstairs.

"Jasper is wonderful, isn't he?" Alice asked as we sat on the window seat together.

"Yes. He's had a hard life, but you saved him," I replied.

She nodded her head. "Gwendolyn, I don't want you to feel like I resent you or that I hate you," she started. "I really want to get to know you, and I know you and Jasper are meant to be."

"Whoa, wait, Alice." I put my hand up. "I told Jasper that we could just be friends. Nothing in the quilt said we were soul mates."

"But I've seen it!" she said, her golden eyes bright. "You are meant to be together, and he will save you. I can't tell you how, just in case that changes the future, but he will."

I looked into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've told Jasper that we were together all those years for a reason, but now we must go our separate ways. I can already see his affection for you, and vice versa. Believe me, you will be together for eternity."

Now that was a word that scared me. Eternity. It was a length of time that I could never get my mind wrapped around.

"Um, Alice, when did you have this vision of us together?"

"Twenty-five years ago. In the fall."

"So, it probably was on the day I was born?" I asked.

"Most definitely," she replied. "I kept it to myself, not wanting it to be true. But before you came to the house yesterday, I had the same vision."

"Didn't you have a vision when I was talking with you?"

"Yes. That's the one I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but I don't want to change the future."

"That's okay. I understand. Can you tell me what part Jacob has to play in all of this?"

"I can't see the wolves. I don't know why, but whenever they're around, my visions are blurred. I don't think he's actually imprinted on you, but he may have. The reason you aren't drawn to him might be because you have your own kind of magic."

"My witchcraft is screwing with his Native American magic?" I asked.

"Quite possibly. Now, if there aren't any other questions…"

I shook my head. "Not at the moment.

"Great!" She shot off the window seat, and grabbed my hand. "Your food will be ready in fifteen minutes, and your cousin's arriving here in ten. Now I want to fix your hair; it's too pretty to be left up in a bun. Come on! I'll get my brush."

Until Melody showed up, Alice told me techniques I should use for my make-up and hair, and she got my straight, black hair to be extremely fluffy. I suppose this is Alice's normal, enthusiastic personality.

"Come downstairs! Your cousin is almost here! And I really want to give you a makeover one day!" She took my hand in her cold one and led me out of the room.

I felt like my arm was about to be ripped off.

**A/N: Next chapter: Dinner with the Cullens! And for all of you Team Edward people, he will be make his first appearance in chapter 8...I think. I'll do my best!**

**REVIEW! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's the next chapter finally! Enjoy!**

As Alice dragged me down the stairs, Jasper appeared at the bottom, smiling. I figured he could tell by our emotions that everything was okay. I rolled my eyes at him and nodded at the hand that Alice was clutching.

"Ali, I think Gwen would like her hand back," Jasper said, chuckling.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Jasper, don't you think Gwen looks better with her hair down?"

He hesitated before answering, most likely because he didn't want to offend Alice. He turned to me. "Yes, you do."

His words made me blush. "Thanks."

Suddenly a knock sounded and Alice ran over and opened the door. "Hi, Melody! I'm Alice Cullen! Come in!"

Alice moved out of the doorway and Melody walked in, wearing a sweater and skirt. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me.

"Gwen! How did your hair become fluffy?" She touched it, and I playfully slapped it away.

"It's all thanks to Alice," I laughed.

Mel looked at the little pixie in awe. "You're amazing! You have to teach me! Since high school I've been trying to get Gwendolyn's hair in a style other than straight, but it wouldn't cooperate!"

"Sure! Sounds like fun!"

It was at that moment when I realized Alice and Mel exerted the same amount of energy. Wow.

"Oh, god. Lessons with Alice?" Jasper shook his head, trying not to laugh.

Alice slapped his arm. "Be nice! I'm not that bad."

"Children, don't fight!" Esme's voice floated into the foyer. "Dinner's ready!"

The four of us headed into the dining room, where Emmett, Rose, Carlisle and Esme were already sitting. Alice sat on my left, Mel on my right, and Jasper sat across from us, next to Em and Rose. Esme and Carlisle were sitting on opposite ends of the table. Esme had fixed us salads with grilled chicken, along with a vegetable stew.

"This tastes heavenly, Esme!" Mel said after she took her first bite.

"I'm glad you think so, since I haven't cooked for quite a while." She smiled.

"It really is great," I complimented. It was then that I noticed someone was missing. "Where's Tasha?"

We looked quickly to the floor around our feet, but there was no sign of her.

Then Emmett shouted, "Oh my god! It's Tasha!" He held up one of the pieces of grilled chicken.

Jasper and Rose snickered, while Esme and Carlisle gave him disapproving looks.

"Emmett, that's mean!" Alice scolded.

Mel stuffed her face with food in order to stop herself from laughing; she knew about my temper…

I focused my powers on him, and suddenly he was turned upside down, floating in midair.

"Hey! I do not deserve this!" he yelled.

Everyone was in hysterics at this point, even the always cool-and-collected Carlisle.

"Let me down!" Emmett yelled.

I looked at Alice. "Should I?"

"Not yet," she giggled. "There's one more thing…"

Then I heard the familiar jingling of Tasha's bell, and she jumped onto the table, and walked right to Emmett. She sniffed him, then spotted the piece of chicken he was still holding. She quickly snatched it and ran out of the room.

"Now," Alice ordered.

I let the big vampire down, and he crashed to the floor.

"What the hell?" he asked angrily as he sat back down.

"That was for being a jerk!" I said, irritated at his sense of humor.

"Children, play nicely," Esme reprimanded.

"Yes, Mom," Emmett sighed. He glared at me.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I couldn't help it," I apologized, staring Emmett down.

"Yeah, one thing you should know about Gwen: she has anger-management issues. Don't you, Gwen?" Melody smirked at me.

"Just a bit," I admitted, matching her smirk. "So how's Seth?"

"Great, as usual," she replied.

"All thanks to you?" I smiled wickedly at her.

She elbowed my arm. "God, Gwen!"

"The Clearwater pup imprinted on you?" Rose asked in disgust.

"Yeah, and apparently Jacob imprinted on Gwen," Mel pointed out.

"_That_ dog? God, I feel bad for you," Rosalie said. "But I thought you said you and Jasper are to be together."

"They are," Alice said, coming to my aid. "I've seen it, but I don't know what's wrong with Jacob. I wish I could see the wolves," she sighed.

"Well, if the wolf is in love with you, why don't you hook up with him, and leave our family the way it is?" Rose suggested, her voice dripping with malice.

"Rosalie," Carlisle warned. "Even if Gwendolyn isn't officially a part of this family, she is still a friend, and we will respect her."

"It's the Edward-and-Bella situation all over again!" Rose pointed out.

"But Bella and Edward needed each other," Esme said. "He was so lonely."

"Exactly my point!" Rose said. "Edward was _alone_. Jasper has Alice, and apparently Gwen has Jacob. End of story." Rosalie leaned back in her chair.

Now I was getting pissed off. Melody reached for my hand under the table; she was trying to comfort me.

"What is your problem?" I asked. "I didn't know Jasper was taken when I came here! All I had were signs from my grandmother that led me to this place. The last thing I wanted was to break up a family." I looked to Carlisle.

"Gwendolyn, _we_," he stared hard at Rosalie. "Have no say in this. This is between you, Alice, Jasper, and wherever Jacob fits in."

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"Now, why don't we change the subject? Gwendolyn, Jasper tells us you're an empath."

Thank god for Carlisle's sense, or someone would have blown up. "Yes, I am., though it comes and goes. I can mainly feel the negative emotions, like sorrow and anger."

"Can you project emotions?" Alice asked.

"No," I replied. "I can't."

"Probably after you're turned, you could," Mel said, having begun to eat again.

"Turned? Into a vampire?" I asked. That thought hadn't occurred to me.

"Well, if you and Jasper are meant to be," Mel said, waving her fork for emphasis. "He would have to turn you, so you wouldn't die."

"That is true." Jasper spoke up for the first time. "But I wouldn't recommend it right away."

"Right," I said. Then I unknowingly asked a question that I wished I hadn't. "Can vampires and humans have sex?" I clapped my hand over my mouth.

Melody started laughing, as did Emmett. My cheeks burned red.

"Ask Edward and Bella when they get back from their honeymoon," Jasper chuckled.

"Carlisle, may I have a serious answer to that question?" I asked, trying to regain my dignity.

"Well, it's very difficult for vampires to control their bloodlust in that kind of situation, but if there was a deep connection between them, one of love, they could." His golden eyes shimmered with humor.

"Thank you," I said. I looked at my cousin who was still laughing and elbowed her.

"Ouch! I'm sorry," she laughed. "I just never thought you would ask something like that!"

The rest of the meal was finished with small talk, mainly about the power witches have. Once Mel and I were done eating, Jasper walked us out to our cars.

Mel got in her Camero, along with Tasha, and flashed her lights at us before driving away.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jasper asked.

I nodded. "Sure. What's up?" I sat on the hood of my Mustang, my back resting on the windshield.

Jasper sat next to me. "Gwen, I'm very confused."

"Why, Jasper?"

It was dark outside, and the porch lights of the house were turned down. The way we were sitting, the light was behind Jasper, making his hair look like a halo.

He sighed. "I always felt like I couldn't love anyone more than Alice; she was my one and only. Then…I met you."

"What are you saying Jasper?" I tried to keep my emotions in check, but my heartbeat probably gave away my excitement.

I saw the faint trace of a smile on his lips. "What I'm saying, Gwendolyn, is that I would really like to be with you more."

"And I'd really like to be with you more, Jasper," I replied, smiling.

He chuckled. "I'm glad we agree. Now you should get home; you need your rest."

He helped me off of my hood and opened my door for me.

"Thank you, kind sir," I giggled. Jasper truly was a southern gentleman.

"You're welcome, Miss Gwendolyn." His topaz eyes glowed in the dim light, and he cupped my cheek with his hand. "Good night."

His sweet breath flowed around me, intoxicating me.

"Good night," I whispered.

He smiled and backed away, letting me get in and drive down the driveway, my thoughts in a whirlwind.

Did Jasper Hale just tell me that he loved me?

**A/N: OK, so thanks to everyone who has reviwed so far, and special thanks to Melody, who helps me out of my writer's block and keeps me sane! Love ya!**

**Next chapter: The Double Date! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, so I'm updating a day early since I won't have access to a computer tomorrow. Oh, and if there are any grammar errors, I'm sorry but I was pressed for time.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight, but I do own my OCs.**

As I walked in the door of Mel's apartment, Melody appeared out of nowhere.

"So what did Jasper want?" she asked excitedly. "Tell me everything!"

She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the couch. We sat down, and Tasha came over to join us. She jumped into my lap and sniffed me, no doubt smelling Jasper's scent. I could have sworn there was an amused twinkle in her green eyes.

"So?" Melody prompted, taking my attention away from Tasha.

"Well, he told me he wanted to spend time with me," I said.

Melody squealed. "Oh my god! He likes you!"

I punched her lightly. "Shut up, Mel."

"Did he kiss you? Did he?" she asked, and I could've sworn she was hyperventilating.

"No," I responded, and stroked Tasha's head. "He touched my face, but that was it."

Mel squealed again. "This is so great!"

"I suppose," I sighed. "But what about Jacob?"

"That's right! I have to call Seth so he can tell Jake to haul ass over to Port Angeles for tomorrow evening." And with that, she went into her room.

"Well, Tasha, what do you think I should do about this situation?"

She blinked at me and ran into my room.

"I guess I should sleep it on," I concluded, and followed the black fur ball to bed.

***

I stayed at the apartment the whole day, talking with Melody. She said we would leave at five for Port Angles, and we'd meet the guys at the restaurant, which was fine with me. After my late shower, I went back into my room and discovered a surprise from Mel.

"Oh, Mel! Where did you get it?" I gasped.

"I knew you'd love it!" She bounced into my room. "It's an old dress of mine, but I never wore it."

The dress was sleeveless, and had a V-neck. It was dark blue with sparkles; it looked like the night sky.

"Try it on!" she ordered.

I shoved her out of my room and locked the door as I put it on. It fit me perfectly, and showed off my curves. Nice.

When I opened the door again, Mel's eyes widened. "Gwen! You look fantastic!"

"Don't I always?" I asked playfully, and she nudged me.

"Jake won't be able to take his eyes off of you!"

"Yeah. Now let me finish getting ready."

An hour later, we had our hair and make-up done, and headed out the door. My black hair was hanging down, and Mel's hair was in barrettes. She had on a sleeveless dark green dress with a round neck. The color played beautifully against her tanned skin.

When we got into the parking lot, I automatically assumed we'd be taking her Camero, but she had other plans.

"No, Gwendolyn. We're taking your Mustang." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" I asked. "Your car is more presentable."

"But your car is a classic! It's a 68!"

"So?"

"Jake restores old cars. He drives a Rabbit, for god's sake!"

"Hmm…OK," I replied. "Then we'll take my car, because the idea of trying to impress two guys who happen to be mortal enemies is _so_ glamorous!" I said sarcastically.

"Shut up and drive!" Mel commanded, nodding towards my car.

We got in and spent the ride to Port Angeles in relative silence. Melody was excited about seeing Seth again, and was practically bouncing in her seat. I, on the other hand, was worried about seeing Jake. Would he want to keep seeing me once he got to know me? And would I develop feelings for him? But if that was the case, what about Jasper?

"Gwen, turn right! You almost missed the turnoff!" Mel suddenly shouted.

I made a sharp turn, and we found ourselves in Port Angeles.

"Lord, Gwen. Stop worrying!" she sighed when parked outside of _La Bella Italia_. "It will be fine!"

As we got out of my Mustang, I heard Melody squeal, "Seth!"

"Hi, honey." I saw Seth's large form come down the stairs of the restaurant. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too!" The hugged each other, but thankfully there was no kissing. No need to lose my appetite.

Then I heard someone clear their throat, and Jacob approached me. He was taller than Seth, which said a lot considering Seth was much taller than me. "Hi, Gwen."

"Hello, Jacob." I smiled up at him. "How are you?"

"Fine. You?"

"Fine, considering the circumstances," I replied honestly.

"Oh, yeah. Seth filled me in on the details. So Hale is interested in you?" he asked, a slight growl to his voice.

"Yeah. But I'd rather not talk about it right now. My mind needs some time to rest."

"I bet," he chuckled. "Shall we?" He gestured towards the restaurant.

"Sure." I looked at Mel and Seth, who were still in a tight embrace. "Do they do this a lot?"

"You've no idea," Jake sighed, and took my hand in his. "Come on."

Once we had gotten to the door of the place, Melody and Seth broke out of their love-induced trance and joined us. The restaurant was very quiet, with soft music playing in the background. The atmosphere was pretty soothing.

Once we were seated, we began talking about everything that had to do with the wolf pack. It was like déjà vu for me, having gone through a similar conversation with Jasper about vampires. Then Jacob began to talk about his family, and asked me to spend a day with him in La Push. How could I say no?

We finished our delicious Italian meals and Seth picked up the tab, much to Melody's and my protest.

"Jake and I ate the most, and since Jake is broke, I will pay," Seth said with a smirk at Jacob.

"And I am not broke!" Jake argued. "I'm just a bit strapped for cash."

"You're broke," Seth said. And that was the end of the argument.

We left the restaurant and headed down the sidewalk towards a busier section of the city.

"Where are we going?" I asked Mel, who led the way.

"Just wait and see!" she sang, and locked arms with Seth.

Jake laughed and held my hand. Unlike Jasper's cool touch, Jake's hand was blazing hot, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

"You look amazing tonight," he whispered in my ear.

I blushed. "Thank you. So do you."

And he did. Seth and Jacob were both dressed in black pants. Seth had on a dark green shirt, no doubt due to Melody, and Jacob had on a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I most admit, he looked pretty hot.

Suddenly Melody's voice broke into my thoughts. "Here it is!"

What I saw before me made my heart sputter- a dance club.

"The Midnight Sun Club?" Jake laughed. "What kind of name is that?"

"Mel and I have been here a few times," Seth told him. "Pretty nice."

As the guys talked, I pulled Melody away. "Mel," I whispered. "You know I can't dance!"

She scoffed. "Sure you can! At least with a few drinks in you…"

I gasped. "Melody Lunae Grayson!"

"What? I'm not telling you to get wasted! Just drink enough to take the edge off."

"I hate you," I growled.

She smirked. "I know, but trust me." She smirked.

"What are you girls talking about?" Seth asked, clearly amused.

"Nothing," I replied quickly.

"Gwendolyn here can't dance," Melody said. "Do you think you could help her?" she asked Jacob.

"Sure, sure. I can try," he replied, smiling at me. "C'mon."

After showing our I.D.s to the bouncer (I learned quickly that my cousin and the werewolves had fake ones), we went inside. It was dark, with a strobe light being the only way to guide us to the bar. Jacob and Seth ordered shots of some sort (I'm not up on mixed drink lingo), and Melody and I ordered margaritas. I quickly drank mine, and ordered another.

"Good god, Gwen, slow down," Jake took the glass from me. "You can't be that nervous about dancing."

"Wanna bet?" I challenged. But he was right; with that little bit of alcohol in my system, I didn't feel as scared.

Just then, _Take Me On The Floor_ by The Veronicas started playing.

"Oh my god, I love this song! Let's dance!" Melody shouted over the music. Yep, one drink in Melody, and she was more hyper than normal.

"Okay, Mel," Seth said, and downed his second shot before grabbing her hand and twirling her onto the dance floor.

Jacob drank another shot and raised his eyebrows at me. "Wanna dance?"

"Why the hell not?" I sighed, and we joined the crowd of people.

As the song picked up tempo, Jake and I moved with it. We were pressed against each other, my arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands guiding my hips. I was feeling a bit buzzed, and I definitely was one with my wild side. With a simple look from me, Jake twirled me so that my back was against his chest, and I ground against him.

"God, Gwen, and you told me you couldn't dance!" he groaned into my neck.

"I'm surprising like that," I sighed into his ear. I rubbed my body against him, and his hands roamed over me, creating a path of fire where his fingers touched. As the song ended, I spun around to face Jacob. His eyes were darker than usual, and his breathing was erratic.

"Gwendolyn," he pushed some loose strands of hair our of my face. "You're so beautiful."

My brain stopped functioning. His face, his lips were so close to mine…

"Oh, Seth!" I heard a familiar voice moan. Jacob and I were snapped out of our hormonally induced-daze and saw Seth devouring Melody's neck.

"Okay, I did not need to see that," I sighed.

"Yeah. Is that a sign that we should head home?" Jacob asked, a slight laughter to his voice.

"I think so." We made our way through the throng of people to Seth and an inebriated Melody.

"Oh my god, Gwen, I saw you dancing! You were so hot!" she said, giggling. "Melody." I put my hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "How much have you had to drink?"

"One margarita," she replied.

"And two shots," Seth added. "I've never seen a girl drink like that, besides my sister."

"Yeah, Leah is a piece of work," Jacob said. "Let's get out of here."

As we made went out, the song _Love Drunk _by Boys Like Girls came on. Seth had to throw Melody over his shoulder, since she was incapable of walking by herself.

"I don't think Mel is love drunk," Jacob laughed as his arm found its way around my waist.

"Yeah, that's for sure."

"Guys, be nice!" Mel whined, before busting out giggling.

When we got back to my car, Jake's eyes widened. "A 68 Mustang?" he asked in awe.

"Yep. Completely restored, too." I was bursting with pride.

"You are totally the girl of my dreams," Jacob said, and turned to me. "Do you want to finish what we started at the club?"

My answer was my lips crashing against his. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly to him. His mouth was so warm against mine, but before things could escalate, Seth cleared his throat.

"Who's the designated driver?"

Jacob broke away from me. "Can you drive?"

I nodded. "My buzz is gone. The question is, can you guys drive?"

"Us shape-shifters have a high tolerance to alcohol, so both of us are more than capable," Jacob said in a matter-of-fact voice.

I laughed. "Just stuff Mel in the passenger seat, Seth."

Jacob stroked my cheek. "Call me?"

"Absolutely. Good night," I sighed.

"Good night, Gwendolyn," he replied, and walked away with Seth.

As I started my car, and Melody snored lightly next to me, my mind was abuzz with questions. The main one: Do I love Jacob Black?

**A/N: Haha! So who loved the club scene? I loved writing it! Special thanks, as always, to Melody for helping me out with her spontaneous ideas! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter isn't that interesting. I was studying my ass off this week, my computer wasn't cooperating, and I had to get a new microwave. I'm surprised I haven't screamed... Well, enjoy! **

The next morning I woke up with a slight headache. Nothing a little aspirin couldn't fix. But Melody's hangover was worse than mine. As I walked into the kitchen, she was slumped on the table, a mug of coffee in her hand.

"Good morning," I said cheerfully, trying to brighten her up.

"Go away," she moaned.

I poured myself a cup of coffee. "Well, this is what you get for last night. And fake IDs? Really?" I asked her incredulously.

She lifted her head, and I saw that she had dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was a mess, too. "I used my magic. They look totally legit. Even a dude who sells forgeries would say they were real."

"Pretty good skills," I complimented her. "But you should have known better than to do shots," I scolded.

"I know, I know," she sighed wearily. "God, my head is throbbing!"

Tasha walked into the kitchen and jumped onto the table. She walked over to my irritable cousin.

"Get…away…from me," she growled.

Tasha sniffed and waved her tail at Mel. Then she walked over to me.

"Hey, Tasha. Are you happy to see me?" I cooed.

She purred in response.

Melody sat up and stared into her coffee cup.

"Need more?" I asked.

"No. You should get your cell. You'll be receiving a call shortly."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Witch stuff, Gwen. Duh!"

I rolled my eyes. "Right. Your coffee is your version of a crystal ball. Remind me never to drink it again."

"You got it," she called after me as I headed into my room.

Sure enough, ten minutes later my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID: Jasper.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Gwen," _the familiar voice answered.

"Jasper, how did I get your number?"

"_Alice stole it from you during dinner the other night_," he chuckled.

"Oh. Should have known," I laughed.

"_So, I was wondering if you would like to come over today. Edward and Bella returned last night."_

"Okay," I said. "Have you told them?"

"_Not entirely," _he admitted. _"We thought it would be best if you were here."_

"I understand. So, what time should I be there?"

"_Can you be here in an hour?"_

"Yeah. So I'll see you soon."

"_Okay. Bye, Gwendolyn."_

"Bye, Jasper." I hung up.

Having already taken a shower, I got dressed and put my make-up on. When I grabbed my purse, Tasha meowed at me.

"Fine. In," I ordered, holding my bag open.

She gracefully jumped in, and snuggled down.

I grabbed my cars and headed for the door. "Mel, I'll be at the Cullens'. You going to be all right by yourself?" I asked.

"Yeah. Seth will be over later," she replied from the couch.

"All right. This is your lesson," I reminded her.

"Shut up and go," she groaned.

I walked out to my car and drove to the house. I could practically feel the excitement in the big mansion. I walked to the door and rung the bell as always, and this time it was answered by Rosalie.

"You again?" she asked, scowling.

"Rosalie!" Esme scolded from somewhere in the house.

At the sound of her voice, Tasha poked her head out of my bag and looked at me hopefully.

"Go ahead." I smiled and opened my bag, allowing the black feline to run into the house.

"How can you love that thing?" Rose asked, glaring after Tasha.

"Well, Emmett loves you, doesn't he?" I replied, and pushed past Rose into the foyer.

I heard Emmett's booming laughter and suddenly I was in a tight hug. "God, Gwen, you smell like dog," he commented, setting my feet back on the floor.

"Well, I did go out with Jake last night," I admitted, blushing.

"Of course you did. Aren't you supposed to be with my brother?" Rose growled.

"Rosie," Emmett said, and pulled her to him. "Be nice."

"Um…Where's Jasper?" I asked finally.

"Oh, he's in the sitting room with Edward and Alice. Bella's asleep upstairs."

"Asleep? So she hasn't been turned yet?" I asked.

"Not yet. Eddie is reluctant to end her life," Emmett sighed. "Poor Bella wants to be one of us so much."

"The girl doesn't know what she's giving up," Rose said, pissed off. "I would give anything to be human again." She stalked outside, and Emmett sighed.

"You know where it is, right?"

I nodded.

"Good. I need to go after Rosie." He hurried after his wife.

I remembered the way that Carlisle had shown me, and sure enough, I found the room. Jasper was sitting with his back turned to me, and a guy I could only guess was Edward was leaning against the wall. Alice hurried over to me.

"Hi, Gwen! This is Edward. You can meet Bella later. She's really exhausted from her honeymoon," Alice said with a wink at Edward.

"Very nice, Alice." Edward walked over to me. "Nice to meet you, Gwendolyn. I'm afraid my family hasn't told me a lot about you," he said as he shook my hand. Same cold, stone skin. _Yep, he's a vampire._

"Did you have any doubts?" he asked, and I mentally slapped myself.

"God, I forget you could read minds." I laughed softly. "This'll be fun."

"I'll try not to invade your mind too often. But it is possible for you to block your thoughts," he said helpfully.

"How do you think we can live with him every day?" Jasper laughed and strolled over. "Hi, Darlin'." He then wrapped his arms around me.

"Hi, Jasper." I was shocked at his forwardness, but I had no problem with it.

Jasper pulled away from me and smiled, as did Alice.

One look at Edward's face, and you could tell he was severely confused.

"Alice? Jasper? What's going on?" he asked.

"It's a long story," I said. "Perhaps it should wait until Bella joins us?"

Edward nodded. "Perhaps that would be best. I'm going to check on her." He left the room.

"Gwen, have you been around the wolves?" Jasper asked.

"Last night Mel and I were with Seth and Jake. Emmett asked me that, too. Do I smell bad?" Now I was totally self-conscious.

"It's not that noticeable," Alice reassured me. "Actually, I have the perfect perfume to cover it up. Come on!" And with that, I was quickly taken upstairs to Alice's room.

"Where is it?" she muttered while searching through hundreds of perfume bottles of various shapes and sizes.

"God, Alice, why do you have so much perfume?" I asked as I examined an almost-empty bottle. It had a label on it in Sharpie that read, _1965, Paris._

"I travel a lot, and I love shopping. If I don't buy clothes, I buy make-up," she replied as she continued to sort through the bottles. "Ah, here it is!"

She quickly sprayed some on my neck and the insides of my wrists. "There. Now you smell like vanilla and oranges. No wolf."

I breathed the scent in. "It's great. Thank you."

"Sure. But before we go back downstairs, I need to ask you something…"

"What is it, Alice?" I asked as I sat next to her on the bed.

"Are you falling in love with Jacob? Because you're changing the future. It's getting harder to see you."

I gasped. I hadn't realized the slight affection I was feeling for him was that important. "Well, I kissed him, but I don't know."

"You need to stop seeing him," Alice said. "You and Jasper are meant to be, not you and Jacob."

I sighed. "I know, but I get so confused around him. I mean, if he has imprinted on me, I can't just break it off with him. He's so sweet, and he likes me a lot."

"Jasper is sweet, too. And he likes you a lot. That's all we hear him talk about."

"He likes me that much?" I asked in shock.

"Mm-hm. It's just like when Edward first met Bella. You guys are meant to be."

"I hear you, Alice. Just give me some time to talk to Jake. I want to do it slowly, so he won't jump off a cliff."

"Like Bella did," Alice said, more to herself than me.

"What?"

"Oh, you'll learn _all_ about our pasts. Now come on! Bella and Edward are waiting!"

When we went back downstairs, a tray of fruit was on the coffee table, and a girl no more than eighteen was eating some. She had dark eyes and brown hair, and Edward couldn't take his eyes off of her. Yep, that was Bella.

"Hey, I'm Bella. You're Gwen?" she asked as Alice and I walked in.

"Yeah. Hi," I replied.

"Tell us everything from the beginning," Edward ordered. I could tell he didn't like secrets.

"Okay."

For the next hour, Jasper, Alice and I told the newlyweds about me, my heritage, and my connection with Jasper. When I gave my side of the story, Jasper took his hand in mine, and that simple gesture gave me some confidence, and, much to my embarrassment, made my heart sing. After we were finished, Bella opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. Edward asked, "So this is definite? Jasper and Gwendolyn are mates?"

"Well, there's a slight problem…" Alice said hesitantly.

"Jacob Black may have imprinted on me," I said truthfully.

Bella's mouth dropped open, and her brown eyes widened. "Jake imprinted?"

Jasper quickly whispered to me, "Jake is Bella's best friend."

With that bit of knowledge, I answered Bella's question. "We're not sure. He seems to think that, but it hasn't really affected me. It's complicated."

"Interesting," Edward commented. "Has Jacob ever told you a legend like this, Bella?"

"No." She shook her head. "Jake said that they imprint, and both people are in love, and don't want anyone else."

"Like Melody and Seth," Jasper said.

"Seth Clearwater?" Bella asked.

"Melody is Gwen's cousin," Jasper said.

"You've met Mel?" I asked her.

"I talked to her for a minute at our wedding. She seems really nice, and she makes Seth happy."

I smiled at Bella. This was a girl who had a gentle spirit (us witches can tell that.) And anyone who said good things about my family is okay with me.

"Hey, guys! So the witch told you what's happening, huh?" Emmett walked over and leaned on the couch. "Hey, Gwen, why don't you ask Edward and Bella that question from dinner?"

"What- Oh!" My face turned red, and Edward picked up from both of our minds what my stupid question was.

"What question?" Bella asked, looking from us to Edward.

Before anyone could stop him, Emmett said, "If vamps and humans could do it."

Bella looked at me and blushed.

"If you are done tormenting the humans," Alice said, "Esme has their lunch ready."

Bella and I got off the couches, Jasper and Edward a step behind us.

"Boys, stop!" Alice said, and blocked our path. "The girls should have lunch _alone_."

"Of course," Edward said, and it was clear he had picked up her vision. "I'll see you soon, my love." He kissed Bella chastely, and even that made her blush.

"Have fun, Gwendolyn," Jasper said, his hand pushing a stray hair out of my face.

Bella and I had matching blushes.

"Go on, Bella, Gwen." Alice moved out of our way.

"I would like to talk with you," I said as we left the room. "Human-to-human."

"Okay," Bella replied. "I would like that, too."

**A/N: Ah, new friendships! The next chapter may have Jacob in it, but nothing is set in stone. I'm making this up as I go. Review, please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Enjoy!**

Bella and I walked into the kitchen, where are noses were met with the strong scent of tuna.

"Hello, girls. I hope you like tuna salad," Esme greeted us.

We sat at the island in the kitchen and started eating. I must admit, I wasn't a fan of fish, but it was really good.

"Wonderful, Esme," I complimented. "How do you know how to cook so well?"

"Just my maternal instinct," she replied, smiling. "So how was your honeymoon, Bella?"

"Amazing," Bella sighed. "Thank you so much for letting us use your island."

"I would do anything for my children." Esme saw the look of confusion on my face. "Carlisle bought me an island off the coast of South America," Esme explained.

"Oh." I nodded. Damn, these vampires were wealthy.

"Well, if you need anything else, just call. I'll be outside." Esme left the room, leaving us alone. I noticed Tasha by my feet, eating a small serving of tuna.

"Spoiled cat," I said affectionately.

She purred contentedly.

"So, you're really a witch?" Bella asked me.

"Yep. See?" I looked towards the fridge, and the door opened allowing two soda cans to float towards us. I closed the door and caught them, handing one to Bella.

"Wow. And I thought there were only vampires and werewolves out there," she said, laughing nervously.

"That's more than what I thought," I admitted. "Grandmother never told me about them."

"How did Carlisle know your grandmother?" Bella asked, taking a sip of her soda.

I shrugged. "He hasn't explained that yet. I probably need to talk to him alone, but I haven't had the chance."

"He's always at the hospital," Bella said. "That's where I first met him."

"How did an ordinary girl like you, no offense, become entangled in this crazy world?" I asked her.

"Well, it started last year, when I moved here from Phoenix…"

Bella told me her experiences with the Cullens, and eventually the wolves. After she was done, I remarked, "How the hell do you get into that much shit in such a short amount of time?"

"I don't know," Bella said, laughing slightly at my tone. "But for all the bad things that happened, the good outweighed them all."

"You really love Edward?"

"More than my life…obviously. He's so afraid he won't be able to stop when he turns me…I just wish he would trust himself more," she sighed.

"He stopped once already. He's made love to you without hurting you. He can turn you," I reasoned.

"Tell that to Edward, though he can probably hear us right now." She looked out into the hallway, her eyes knowing. "But now I'm thinking I want to go to college for a year before I'm turned, but I don't want to get older. I'm already a year older than Edward is."

"Hmm…I may know a way to help you, but it's risky," I said, unsure of whether I should tell her this.

"How?" she asked quickly, her brown eyes pleading.

"Well, witches, in general, age slower than common folk. My grandmother herself created an anti-aging potion; one of the reasons why she looked so damn good when she died at age 105," I said, bragging a little.

"105?" Bella asked in awe.

"Yeah. We had to tell people she was younger than that, naturally, but people still questioned because of how youthful she looked."

"So, this potion will slow down my body's aging _and_ give me a longer life?" Bella asked.

"Possibly, but it's only been taken by a handful of witches, and then it's near impossible to brew, and there's always the risk of poisoning yourself-"

She cut me off. "I want to try it. I _have_ to try."

I sighed heavily. "Edward, we need a second opinion, and we should probably get Carlisle's medical expertise in here."

Edward came into the room, looking thoughtful. "This sounds like a godsend, but I'm not sure we should risk the danger."

"Please, Edward!" Bella got up and took his hands in hers. "I could have a little more human experience."

Edward closed his eyes, then opened them again, staring into Bella's. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she breathed. "This would mean so much to me."

"When can you have it ready, Gwendolyn?" Edward asked, not taking his eyes away from his wife.

"I don't know. I would first have to find the recipe, if Grandmother wrote it down, and then gather the supplies, and then it could take weeks to brew…"

"Do what you need to. If you need help getting anything, let me know." Edward looked at me, and I could see the devotion for Bella reflected in them.

"Okay," I agreed, going against my gut feeling. "But if anything should backfire-"

"I'll turn her," Edward said with dead certainty. "I would feel better saving her life like that than taking it away if she's healthy." He looked back at Bella. "What do you think, my love?"

"Oh, Edward!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up, holding her to him.

"I think we should go," Jasper whispered in my ear.

I gasped and spun around. "You startled me."

"I can tell." He placed his hand over my fast-beating heart. "I'm sorry, but these two might…" He lifted his eyebrows suggestively.

I giggled. "Okay. Let's go."

Jasper took my hand and led me out into the forest. A small breeze rustled the autumn leaves that were still clinging to the branches.

"So what made you decide to tell Bella about the potion? You could have kept it a secret," Jasper asked me, moving a low branch out of our path.

"I don't know. I guess I felt bad for her, since she was so conflicted, and for Edward…" I trailed off. "Was it the right thing?"

"Perhaps," Jasper said. "If it doesn't kill her."

"I'm worried, since she doesn't have the magic gene."

"Couldn't her inability to be affected mentally by our powers be evidence of it?" Jasper asked, suddenly picking me up and placing me over a log that was in our path.

"That's what I'm hoping," I admitted while blushing. "You know I'm not helpless." I gestured back to the log.

"Sorry. It's just my southern manners." He smiled sheepishly, and that's when I noticed his voice had a southern twang to it, more than usual.

"Why don't you always speak with your accent?" I asked.

"People would notice us more if we spoke with our accents; they would see how different we are. Like Carlisle: he's from England, so he has to hide his British accent," Jasper explained.

"Oh," I said, rather lamely. "When humans aren't around, do you let your guard down?"

Jasper shook his head. "It's become a habit."

"You could when you're with me," I breathed, unsure of whether he could hear.

"Okay, I will," Jasper said.

We came across another log. "May I?" He gestured with his hands that he wanted to pick me up.

"I got this," I said, and focused my energies on the dead tree. In a puff of smoke, it turned into a pile of mulch. "There. Much better." I neatly stepped over it, feeling very confident.

"Impressive," Jasper noted, smirking.

"Why are so many trees down?" I asked, looking around us.

"You really don't want to know," Jasper answered.

"Come on, it can't be that bad," I pried, leaning against an old oak.

"Rose and Emmett like to try new things…" Jasper said, waiting for my reaction.

"Oh, god!" I jumped away from the oak, afraid of what might be on the tree.

Jasper started to laugh at me.

"God, it's not funny!" I yelled, taking my light jacket off. "I'm gonna have to burn this thing," I said disgustedly.

"Emmett and Rosalie are quite open with their sex life," Jasper said.

"Apparently," I sighed.

"Come on, I want to show you something." Jasper reached for my hand.

"It's not more nasty trees, is it?" I asked warily.

"No," he chuckled. "Just something you should be aware of."

I took Jasper's hand, and noticed how different his touch was to Jacob's. It was much colder, and harder, but also more careful; I was holding his hand more tightly than he was holding mine; he wanted to make sure he didn't crush it.

"See this line of trees?" Jasper asked, and I nodded. "Beyond that is Quileute territory. Black told you about the treaty, right?"

"Yeah. Vampires aren't allowed to go onto their land."

"Well, this is the dividing line. If we cross it, they are allowed to attack us."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Good to know. But am _I _allowed to cross it?"

Jasper laughed. "Humans are welcome to."

I released his hand and walked to the trees. I visualized a white line on the ground, and I dramatically jumped over it. I turned around to see Jasper applauding.

"Thank you," I laughed, bowing to him.

All too soon this moment was spoiled. A large creature toppled me over, lightly growling.

"Get off of her!" Jasper shouted, unable to aid me.

"What the hell?" I gasped as I saw two large, black eyes staring at me. I recognized them immediately.

"Jacob Black!" I spat. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

**A/N: Ooh, Jake's in trouble! What will happen? Will Jasper kick his ass? Review to find out! ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm sorry I didn't get this up last night. I had a dance to attend. And with my schedule, I may be updating only once a week now.**

I glared up at the large wolf. He immediately backed up and lowered his head.

"Jacob, you better phase back right now!" I growled.

He let out a sigh, and in a second, the wolf had disappeared, a well-built guy in its place. Wait, let me rephrase that: a well-built, totally _naked_ guy.

Jacob seemed to be unaffected by his nudity, and put his sweatpants on, keeping a wary eye on Jasper, who was as close to me as he could be without stepping over the boundary.

"Gwendolyn, let me explain-" Jake started, and I was snapped out of my ogling.

"Oh, yes, dog, let's hear what you have to say," Jasper said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ignoring Jasper, he turned to me. "Listen, I was on patrol, and I caught the scent of a bloodsucker near the border. My instincts kicked in, and I ran this way. Then I saw someone over the border, someone who had the scent of a leech, and I…" He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean the scent of a vampire?" I asked, angry.

"Well, since you were hanging out with _him_," Jake snarled. "His scent would be on you."

"Even so, her human scent would overpower it," Jasper stated. "And since you're so convinced that she's your imprint-"

"I made a mistake!" Jacob shouted. "The smell agitated my instincts. I couldn't control it! Will you forgive me, Gwen?" he asked more gently.

I scowled at him. "You could've hurt me."

"He could've _killed_ you," Jasper said, venom in his voice.

"Like you couldn't?" Jake snapped. "At least she doesn't have to fear for her life when she's with me."

"Are you so quick to forget what happened to Emily?" Jasper asked.

Jacob's jaw was clenched. His eyes were burning with hatred. I turned to look at Jasper, whose once golden eyes were now pitch black. This couldn't be good.

"Jasper, Jacob, calm down," I ordered.

For a reply, both of them growled.

Jasper crouched down. "Move away, Gwendolyn."

"Jasper Hale, you will not attack Jacob!" I cried. In order for Jasper to get to Jake, he had to cross the border. The pack would kill him.

I noticed Jake start shaking, and I realized that was the beginning of his phasing. Jasper lunged at him.

"No!" I screamed, and sent a wave of energy at them.

All at once, the vampire and werewolf were on the ground, paralyzed.

I was panting; that took a lot of power.

"You are both jackasses!" I yelled. "What the hell were you thinking?! Jasper, you do not screw with the treaty!" I narrowed my eyes at him, and I could tell he was upset. "And you, Jacob- picking a fight with a vampire? That's suicide! I can forget you attacking me; I'm not forgiving you, though- I'm just pretending it never happened. But if you two do anymore stupid shit in order to gain my affection, I can easily rip you both apart, and for you, Jasper, burn the pieces!"

They laid pathetically on the ground, their eyes begging me to release them.

"Will you both behave and not murder each other if I take the spell off you?" I was angry as hell, but I did feel bad for them.

They blinked. That was always the one part of the body that couldn't be paralyzed, for some reason.

"Fine." With a wave of my hand, they both started to move again. They each picked themselves off the floor, and flexed their muscles.

"Stiffness is a side effect," I informed them. "Nothing long-term."

"How the hell were you able to do that?" Jake asked, and his eyes held a bit of fear.

"You must be one hell of a witch," Jasper commented walking over to me. "I didn't know you could overpower my kind."

"Neither could I. I was hoping to God that it worked," I admitted. "But it was the only way to ensure the safety of both of you!"

"I'm sorry, Gwendolyn," Jasper replied, and his regret flooded over me.

"I'm sorry, too," Jacob said.

I sighed. "You're both idiots. But I don't want anyone to know what happened here."

"That could be a bit of a problem…" Jake started.

"Why?" Jasper and I asked together.

Suddenly the reason came out of the woods. Two wolves came toward us; one was black and considerably larger than the smaller grey one. Jacob turned to the black one and bent his head, a sign of submission. That must be Sam, then.

I was so interested in this gesture that I practically jumped a foot in the air as I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.

"Gwendolyn, is everything all right?" Carlisle asked.

"It is now, but why are you-?"

"Leah was patrolling with Jacob, and went back to alert Sam to the possible treaty violation. Sam then contacted me, and we both need to know what happened."

The small wolf, Leah, gave me a hateful look, while Sam looked intently at me.

"It's my fault. I crossed the border, not Jasper."

Carlisle's brow furrowed. "But humans are allowed to cross the border unharmed."

Sam's head turned to sharply to Jacob, and I quickly said, "I had Jasper's scent on me. It was too much for Jake's instincts."

Leah snorted, and Jacob glared at her. "What would you have done?"

Apparently Leah's thoughts were offensive and Sam barked sharply. Leah whined, but continued to glare at Jacob. I was wondering if Jake should phase, so that he could efficiently communicate with his leader.

"Why are there indentations in the ground?" Carlisle asked, looking at the Jasper-sized and Jacob-sized depressions in the forest ground.

"I was about to attack Black, and Gwen stopped us," Jasper confessed. "If she hadn't used her magic to immobilize us, someone would have gotten hurt."

Sam's ears pricked at this bit of information, and he looked at me thoughtfully.

"You were able to take down a vampire and a werewolf?" Carlisle asked, shocked.

I nodded, a slight blush creeping over my cheeks. "Yes."

"Incredible." Carlisle and Sam shared a look, their thoughts the same.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Perhaps, since there is no danger, Sam and Leah would phase back, so we could all talk," Carlisle carefully suggested.

Sam nodded his head, and the two wolves wandered into a nearby thicket so they could phase back and get dressed. A few moments later, Sam and Leah came out, Sam wearing shorts and Leah in a loose-fitting dress. It appeared she had a permanent scowl on her face.

"Gwendolyn, it is nice to meet you," Sam said, coming over to the Cullen side of the border. "Jacob has told us all about you."

"The pack, as I told you, share a mind," Jacob explained. "I've thought about you a lot."

"More like obsessed," Leah scoffed. "Afraid of her being with the bloodsuckers. It's Bella all over again."

Okay, I was getting sick of being compared to Bella. "What's your problem, Leah?"

"My problem is Jacob- he's freaking immature! He was convinced he had imprinted on Bella, and that obviously turned out to be a joke. And now you come along, a freaking witch, and he thinks he's imprinted on you! He has to be lying!" Leah accused.

"Gwendolyn, don't listen to her," Jacob said. "Leah, don't forget that Gwen is Melody's cousin. You should be nicer to her," he told her.

"I'm not afraid of my brother!" Leah replied indignantly. "And I want to make one thing clear: I have nothing against Melody. She makes Seth happy, so I'm happy."

"But when Mel and Seth get married, Gwen will be family," Sam replied. "Part of _our_ family."

I suppose he was talking about the entire pack.

Leah turned to me. "You have to make a choice. It's either that bloodsucker," She pointed to Jasper, who stood silently beside me, "-or Jacob here. Don't lead them on, like Bella did." She leaned in to whisper in my ear, "It broke Jacob when she finally told him they weren't meant to be."

Why was she so concerned with Jacob's feelings? Didn't she hate him?

"I don't think that a decision like this should be rushed," Carlisle said. "Gwendolyn's heart needs time, especially since she has only been here for four days."

"Thank you, Carlisle." I smiled appreciatively at him. "Leah, why do you resent me so much?" It was like the Rosalie situation all over again.

I never got an answer to that question. Sam had been getting impatient with this meeting, and decided to end it. He concluded that since Jasper had not crossed the border, no harm done, but told us to be more careful. Like we were little kids!

Sam and Leah shifted and ran off, and Jacob joined them after giving me a miserable look.

I put my head in my hands. How could I hurt him? How could I tell him that I loved Jasper more? How could I strike him down like Bella did? I hadn't even realized I started to cry.

"Shh, it's okay, Gwendolyn." Jasper put his arms around me and sent me feelings of affection and comfort.

"Let's get back to the house," Carlisle advised. "It will rain shortly."

Right when he said it, the raindrops began to fall. Jasper picked me up and ran me back to the house. It was an exhilarating and slightly scary feeling, like we were flying. I had closed my eyes and turned my head into Jasper's chest, shielding my face from the rain. His sweet scent calmed me, allowing my tears to dry. When warm air hit me, I discovered we were back in the house.

"Where's Bella?" I asked as Jasper placed my feet on the floor.

"She's upstairs in Edward's room." Alice appeared beside me. "She's waiting to talk to you."

**A/N: The next chapter will be another Gwen-Bella chat. Reviews make my day! ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I...AM...BACK! WOO-HOO! I finally got some free time, and I'm hoping to get the next 3-4 chapters up by Monday. Then I will disappear again, this time into the scary world of...EXAMS! *blood-curdling scream* So make me feel loved by reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Jasper let me run up the stairs unquestioned; he could feel the emotional whirlwind I was in. It wasn't hard to find Edward's room- it was the only door that was open. I rushed inside, finding Bella laying on a black leather couch. Tasha was in her lap; she looked at me, her green eyes knowing. Bella smiled timidly at me.

"Tasha followed Alice up here. She's really sweet," she said, as she scooted over on the sofa.

"Yeah." I patted Tasha's head, and she stretched herself out so that half of her was on Bella's lap and the other half was on mine.

"Alice had a vision," Bella said after a few seconds of silence. "What's wrong?"

"Bella, how did you break up with Jacob?" I sighed.

Her face turned pale. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm going to have to do the same." A tear slid down my face.

"Oh, no," Bella said, and I could tell she was starting to panic. "I hurt him so badly before. I mean, he ran away to Canada! And now you…"

"Jake is one of the sweetest people I've ever met," I admitted. "But he's not what I want, though any girl would be lucky to have him."

"You want Jasper, just like I want Edward." She took my hand in hers. "You have to be honest with him."

"I know. But he's so convinced I'm supposed to be his. Did he ever think you were his imprint?"

"I was the only girl he ever loved. It felt real to him."

"But he was mistaken," I said. "You married Edward, and then Jacob found me-"

"And supposedly imprinted on you-"

"Which couldn't have truly happened, since I'm not returning the same feelings. I feel affection for him, but he's not the one for me."

"You have to tell him," Bella whispered. "It will hurt him, but you have to do it."

Suddenly the tears started for both of us. I was upset at the thought of causing poor Jacob more pain, and Bella started crying because she empathized with me. Tasha jumped away from us; our sudden outburst had startled her. Suddenly we heard a loud crash come from downstairs, and then Jasper and Edward were in the doorway, concern written on their faces.

"Out of my way!" a high-pitched voice shouted, and suddenly the guys were thrown away from the door, and Alice walked into the room. "You two are in desperate need of some happiness. Not to say I don't feel your pain," she said, addressing me, "but the future is clear: Jasper and you will be together."

I nodded, my throat tight from crying.

"Alice, what fell downstairs?" Bella finally asked.

She smirked. "Jasper and Edward knocked Emmett into a wall."

"Boys," I muttered, a smile threatening to surface. Bella giggled next to me, drying the tears on her face.

"How about I take you girls shopping with me?" Alice suggested. "It will be fun!"

I shook my head. "Not that that doesn't interest me, but I need to take it easy for a couple days."

"Same here," Bella put in quickly. "I still need to get some rest from my honeymoon."

Alice pouted. "Fine. But we _will_ go shopping soon."

"Whatever you say, Alice," I laughed, and Bella joined me.

Suddenly my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Gwen!"_

"Mel! You sound a lot better."

"_I feel a lot better. Seth cooked for me. He never told me he could cook!"_

"That bastard," I said playfully. "Making you do all the work."

"_I know, right? But I called because you need to see something. In my hangover-induced daze, I discovered something…"_

"Can't you tell me now?" I asked.

"_Just come back to the apartment,"_ she sighed.

"Okay," I said. "See you soon."

I hung up and looked at Alice. "Any ideas?"

"She was with Seth. I couldn't see anything."

"Damn it," I sighed. "Well, Bella, I have to go."

"Bye," she said, and I noticed her eyes were still a little red.

"Come on, Tasha," I called as I walked out of the room.

The little cat darted out from underneath Edward's bed, and quickly ran down the stairs. By the time I got to the front door, Tasha was impatiently flicking her tail.

"You know what Melody discovered, don't you?" I asked.

She blinked at me.

"Yep. Let's go."

I walked out towards my car and saw a figure standing by it, holding the door open for me.

"Hi, Jasper," I greeted, smiling.

"Hey, Gwen. Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer to me.

"I will be. Too much has happened these past few days. I need some rest."

"Okay, Darlin'," he said, but still sounded worried.

"I'll be fine," I reassured him.

His hand lightly caressed my cheek. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm a big girl, Jasper," I said, smiling. "I can take care of myself."

"And you're a gifted witch," he added, his golden eyes shining in the dim light.

"Very true, but I don't like to brag." On that note, I flicked my wrist and the car roared to life.

"Absolutely no bragging from you…Right," Jasper said, chuckling.

"I'll see you later," I said as I turned to get in my car.

"Bye, Gwendolyn."

As I drove away, his beautiful voice echoed through my head.

***

"My darling cousin, where are you?" I called as I entered the apartment. Tasha quickly curled up on the sofa.

"In your room!" Melody's voice answered. "And Seth went back to La Push for the night, so no awkward morning moments tomorrow!"

"Good!" I walked into my room and found Mel sitting on my bed, my quilt in her lap. "Why do you have my quilt?"

"Well, Seth needed something to cover me with when I was on the couch, so he used this. Then I discovered this line," she ran her fingertip over the stitches, "And things suddenly made sense."

"Which line?" I took the quilt from her and quickly translated the Latin. "Oh…My…God."

"It explains everything."

"Not exactly everything, but-"

"The _big_ thing," Mel said.

I was speechless. How could I be so ignorant when it was spelled out right in front of me?

"_Beware the mistaken heart of the wolf_," I whispered. "So he isn't in love with me after all."

"Nope. Continue reading," Mel instructed. "It gets weird."

"_Duos velieris secundum suum contemno , non expers profiteor verum_."

"_The two hide behind their hate, not wanting to acknowledge the truth_," I translated. "What is that referring to?"

"I was hoping you'd know."

I shook my head.

"Huh. Well, I guess we could try scrying to find out," Melody suggested.

"Good idea. Where is it?" I asked, wanting to know where her obsidian orb was.

"Uh…It kind of…broke…" She bit her lip.

"What? How did it br- You know, I don't want to know," I decided, having seen the light blush on Mel's face. "I guess this means it's back to my house."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I know it's a long ride." Her voice was apologetic.

"It's okay. I need some time away from here."

"So you're leaving in the morning?" Mel asked as she got up and walked towards my door.

"No," I replied. "Right now."

**A/N: All right! That chapter gave me a hard time! Reviews are awesome! Oh, and if the Latin isn't correct, don't blame me- it's the quick-text on-line translator I used.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to, and will always belong to, Steph Meyer.**

Melody's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'right now'? Are you out of your mind?"

"I am perfectly capable of driving in the dark, unlike you, Mel," I replied, getting my suitcase out of the closet. "And I have to go home anyway."

"For what?" Mel asked incredulously.

I sighed. "Bella wants to try Isadora's anti-aging potion."

"Are you crazy?! That could kill her!" Mel shouted.

I paused in my packing. "You don't think I realize that? I told her the risk, and she doesn't care; she said that Edward would turn her if she started to die."

"This girl has no sense of self-preservation! She's been nearly killed, like, fifty times!" she said.

"She's one of a kind," I remarked. "And I really like her, which is why I'm doing this for her. Ugh, why am I doing it this way?" I suddenly groaned, staring at the half-packed suitcase. With a wave of my hand, all my belongings quickly flew into my suitcase.

"Are you going to call Jasper? Or Jacob?" Mel asked as she followed me to the door.

I contemplated this for a second. "No. I need some time alone. I need to sort things out."

"You know, Alice will see this. Seth isn't here to hide you. She'll tell Jazz."

"So be it," I said smoothly. "And it's not like he'll drag me kicking and screaming back to Forks. My home isn't here."

"Yet," Melody added.

"Yet," I agreed. "But for now, no."

"You're impossible!" Mel sighed.

"So are you, Mel." We gave each other a quick hug. "Come along, Tasha."

The little cat quickly ran over to my side, her eyes inquisitive.

"Wanna go home?" I asked her.

A purr erupted from her chest.

"Good girl," I cooed. "Come here." I scooped her up and placed her in my purse. "I'll see you in a few days."

"See you, Gwendolyn. Drive safely."

I walked out of the apartment and rushed to my car. I hadn't realized how homesick I was until now. I needed to sleep in my own bed, in my own house, with my own memories surrounding me.

"Oh, Grandmother Issa, what are you trying to tell me?" I sighed as I drove down the highway. Tasha was sound asleep on the passenger seat, and "21 Guns" by Green Day was on the radio.

_Only two hours until I'm home_, I kept repeating in my mind. _Only two hours._

***

I finally arrived home at 9:30. As I unlocked and entered my house, my suitcase floated in after me. I raced up the stairs into my bedroom, where I proceeded to pass out on my bed. That night I had a haunting dream.

In my dream, I was with Jacob, sitting on the front steps of a house. _Our_ house. We were just talking, and laughing, and his hot hands were encompassing mine. Suddenly two little children appeared, a boy that looked like a younger Jacob, and a girl whose hair was just as long and dark as mine.

"Look what I can do, Mommy!" the little girl cried, and I saw that in her hands she held one of my crystal pendulums. She stared intently at it, her little brow furrowed, and it suddenly began to move in a counter-clockwise motion. The boy clapped his hands and the girl smiled.

"Very good, sweetheart," I said.

"You take after your gifted mother," Jacob said as he picked up the girl and placed her in his lap.

"Daddy, why can't I do things like she can?" the boy asked, frowning.

"Because, my beautiful boy," I cooed, "you take after your father. You will be able to do something that your sister can only dream about."

"What is it?" they both asked eagerly.

Jake laughed. "Another time. Now let's go inside and get something to eat."

Suddenly the atmosphere of the dream changed. It became darker. The sun was hidden behind dark storm clouds. Jacob tensed, and looked at me.

"Get the children inside," he ordered.

I quickly got the children into the house, ignoring their complaints. I closed the door and stood next to Jake.

"Get inside the house, Gwendolyn," he told me, his voice hard.

I saw that his body was shaking, and I immediately stepped away as he phased. A giant wolf was now where Jacob had been standing. His hackles were raised, and he was growling at the forest near our home.

Two figures came out of the trees, a man and a woman. Jacob barked a warning at them, but they approached us nonetheless. In my panic, I cast a physical shield between the two newcomers and us, not wanting there to be a fight. But as the two figures stood in front of us, I recognized one of them. Jasper was standing in front of Jake, totally calm. At his side was a beautiful girl with alabaster skin, flowing black hair, and bright, golden eyes that matched Jasper's.

Suddenly the sun reappeared, and Jasper and the girl's skin sparkled like diamonds. I squinted my eyes against the glare and asked, "Who is she, Jasper?"

"Do you not recognize her, Gwendolyn?" Jasper asked, his voice soft.

I looked at the girl again, taking in her features. There was something familiar about her…

She slowly lifted her hand and touched the barrier between us. She tilted her head to the side, watching me.

I lifted my hand and copied her action, Jacob whining uncertainly. I shushed him, and locked eyes with the female vampire. Through the shield, I could feel that she had incredible power.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"_Ego quisnam tu eris_," she stated, her voice like the wind rustling through the trees. **(Translation: I am who you will be.)**

I gasped, my eyes widening.

The beautiful vampire was _me. _

She smiled widely at me, her teeth dazzlingly white.

Then the sun vanished once more. I dropped my shield, or maybe the vampire-me dropped it, and she and Jasper fled into the woods just as a sleek figure came running out of it. The furry creature flew over me and landed on Jacob, trying to pin him down. My vision became blurry, and I could only hear the growling and snarling coming from the two wolves. A pain-filled cry came from one of them, and then I awoke with a shriek.

I looked around. The sun was trying to come into my room through the blinds. I ran my fingers through my hair and realized I was covered with sweat. Tasha looked at me curiously from the floor, and batted something that was near me. I gasped; I had unintentionally cast a physical shield around my bed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Tasha!" I said as I lowered it. She flicked her tail at me and jumped up beside me.

"Did you make that awful crying noise?" I asked her.

She lifted her head and blinked.

"Of course you did." I got up and looked at my clock. "Oh, my god, is it really noon?"

Tasha meowed and ran out of my bedroom, down the stairs, and most likely to the kitchen.

"I starved my cat," I realized as I followed her. "Poor thing."

Once I had fed her, I took a shower and put on a pair of old jeans and a rather large t-shirt. I pushed all thoughts of the strange dream out of my head. Today I would be focused on Bella's potion, since that needed to sit for several days before it was taken.

I got out Isadora's old spell book and found her anti-aging potion. For the next four hours, I was chopping and slicing every herb imaginable and putting them in a pot of boiling water. A strange purple smoke began to billow out of the cast-iron cauldron, and I had to take the battery out of my smoke detector to make sure it wouldn't go off. Then I came to the most deadliest ingredient- the venom of an asp, the kind of snake that supposedly killed Cleopatra. This was the one ingredient that I hesitated to include, but I knew the potion would not be potent without it.

"Bella, if this kills you, it is not my fault," I said under my breath as I poured the vial of venom into the steaming cauldron. As the crucial ingredient mixed with the herbs, the water turned red and started hissing.

"Must have been a bit more than just the snake's venom in there," I laughed.

Tasha cautiously walked into the kitchen, making sure to keep away from the potion.

"It's okay, my pretty kitty," I said. "It's done." I carefully ladled out a small amount of the liquid and poured it into a vial that had a skull on it. A necessary precaution, just in case a common-folk would ever get a hold of it.

"This needs to hang out in the sunlight until we return to Forks," I said. The solar energy would be beneficial to its potency.

I went outside into my garden and hung the vial next to my roses. I never had to worry about people stealing anything from me- my house had all sorts of enchantments upon it.

I, of course, had a lot of potion left over, so I decided to dump it into my garden; it made my flowers bloom all year round, something that Grandmother Issa had taught me.

Once I had that taken care of, I fixed myself a quick dinner and settled into bed. The scrying session, I decided, would be done tomorrow. I just needed my rest.

**A/N: Loved it? Hated it? Either way, review! Oh, and, once again, if the Latin is screwed up, not my fault.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This is the last chapter until late December. And special thanks to Melody who helped me with the plot for this chapter! I owe you! **

"Jasper," I sighed in my sleep. "Jasper."

We were running through the woods together, laughing. All at once, Jasper tackled me and I quickly flipped us over so I was lying on his chest.

"I love you," I told him, looking into his golden eyes.

"I love you, too." He wrapped his arms around me, keeping me against him.

Through the branches of the trees, the sun shone. Our skin sparkled, and I marveled at his beauty, as he did mine. I leaned in to kiss him, but he suddenly stood up, taking a protective crouch in front of me.

"Run, Gwendolyn," he commanded, his eyes searching the woods around us.

"No. I won't leave you," I told him, my voice wavering with fear.

"Gwen, don't worry about me." He turned to look at me, his eyes dark with anger. "I'm trying to protect you."

"Jas-" I was cut off by a loud howling noise.

Jasper growled deep in his chest as nine wolves emerged from the woods around us. My instincts were screaming at me to run, but I refused to leave Jasper, my love, to this horrid fate.

"I did no wrong," Jasper said through clenched teeth.

"Actually, you did, leech."

I gasped as I heard the familiar voice. It couldn't be…

"The treaty specifically says that a vampire may not _bite_ a human." Jacob walked out of the trees, walking past the large black wolf that was Sam.

"But I chose this life!" I cried.

I flinched as he turned his hard stare to me. "It doesn't matter. He still broke the treaty. And for that, he must die."

The wolves growled in unison, stalking closer to Jasper and I.

"I'm sorry, Gwendolyn," Jacob said, and quickly phased into his wolf form.

Jake raised a paw and struck out at Jasper.

"NO! NO! JASPER!" I screamed.

I writhed in my bed, trapped in my terror. "JASPER! NO! PLEASE, NO!"

"Gwendolyn? Gwendolyn, wake up! _Gwendolyn!_"

Upon hearing my name, I quickly sat up and hit something hard. Cool arms wrapped around me.

"Gwen? What's wrong? Why were you screaming?"

As my mind identified the owner of the voice, I burst out sobbing.

"Shh, darlin', it's okay. I'm here. It's okay." Jasper's voice was the sweetest sound I had ever heard.

"God, Jasper, I thought- I thought-" My sobs overwhelmed me, and I wrapped my arms around him to make sure he was really here.

"It's okay. Calm down. It was just a nightmare," he comforted, his hands rubbing soothing circles on my back.

After a few minutes, my crying quieted, and Jasper shifted me so that he could look at my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I nodded, knowing he would be able to see it in the dark.

"Okay." He wiped the tears on my cheeks away with his hand. "Do you want to tell me what the dream was about?"

"Sure," I whispered, my throat still tight from crying. I swallowed several times, trying to get the lump to go away.

"You were screaming my name. I've never felt that much terror come from someone before," he said quietly.

"It was awful," I said, my voice sounding a little stronger.

"Are you sure you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Yes." I told him about my dream, making sure I didn't get lost in the horror of it.

"Oh, my god, Gwendolyn. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." I sniffled. "I'm just glad you're okay, and that you're here…" Something dawned on me. "Why are you here?"

"Uh…" Jasper laughed nervously. "Alice told me you ran away, and I was worried, so I followed you."

"Followed me?" I asked slowly. "Like, when I was driving here from Forks?"

"I know it's creepers, but I was worried about you." He was begging me to understand.

"Were you watching me today? Like when I was in the kitchen, and in the garden?"

"Slightly. Kind of. Sort of. Okay, I was. But I just wanted to make sure you didn't need me. I was keeping tabs on your emotions, and I found out that you were pretty content. But if your emotions took a negative turn, then I would come in and save you."

"Like now?" I asked.

"Like now," he agreed. "Are you upset at me?"

"Read my emotions. Do I feel upset to you?"

"No. You feel relieved."

"Because I am. Because if you weren't here, I would probably still be screaming and crying. You kept me sane." I smiled.

"I'm glad I could be of service," Jasper said. "It's late. You should go back to sleep."

"Will you stay with me?" I asked.

"Of course I will," he replied.

I laid back down, and Jasper covered me with my quilt. He laid beside me, and I cuddled into the curve of his body.

"Good night, Gwendolyn," Jasper whispered, stroking my hair with his hand.

"Good night, Jazz," I sighed, breathing in his sweet scent.

Sleep quickly overtook me.

***

I was awakened the next morning by the glorious sound of Jasper laughing softly.

"What's happening?" I asked as I propped myself up on my elbow to look at him. The sight I saw before me caused me to laugh, too.

There was Tasha, standing on Jasper's chest, inspecting his face closely. Not only were her green eyes narrowed to slits, but she kept sniffing him.

"Tasha, you naughty girl," I said as I scooped her up in my arms. "Leave poor Jasper alone."

"I'm sorry I woke you," Jasper said as he sat up. "But her whiskers were a bit ticklish."

"That's okay. Whenever this fur ball is involved, there's no one to blame but her." I kissed the top of Tasha's head.

"She's a sweet cat. Animals usually stay away from my kind." A hint of sadness crept into his voice.

"Well, Tasha is no ordinary cat. I can't even be sure that she _is_ a cat," I chuckled.

"Is your nightmare still bothering you? Your emotions feel…conflicted."

I sighed. "That dream last night…It wasn't the first one I had."

"Tell me, Gwen. I want to know." His eyes were pleading.

I told him the one I had had the night before. I could sense some jealousy from him when I talked about being married to Jacob, but he kept quiet. His eyes were thoughtful when I finished.

"So you will be a vampire? I will turn you?" Jasper asked.

"Those dreams were pretty definitive. Not a whole lot of room for conjecture."

"But what about the two wolves at the end? The one was Jacob, but did you recognize the other?"

"No. But they were fighting. I don't want Jake to get hurt!"

"Nothing could hurt him. He's strong," Jasper reassured me.

"Okay." I wasn't entirely convinced, and he could tell. "It doesn't matter right now. What _does_ matter is breakfast."

Jasper smiled a dazzling smile. "May I cook breakfast for you?"

"Sure," I replied, a bit breathlessly.

"Okay. I'll try not to burn down the kitchen," he joked as he walked out of the room.

I turned back to Tasha. "Keep an eye on him. Make sure he's true to his word."

Tasha jumped down from bed and ran after Jasper, who was laughing.

Before I went downstairs, I showered and threw on some clothes. The scent of pancakes wafted through the house. My mouth watered as I walked downstairs into the kitchen.

"I hope these are okay. I've never tried my hand at cooking before." He smiled sheepishly.

I sat down at the table where a plate of them were waiting. I quickly poured some syrup on them and started to quickly devour them.

"These are _divine_, Jazz!" I said, a bit in shock. "Where did you learn to make these?"

"Edward isn't the only one who watches _Food Network_," Jasper said, pleased with my reaction.

"And thank god for that!" I had never eaten better-tasting pancakes before, so it was no surprise that they were all gone in a matter of minutes.

"Wow. I've never seen a human eat so much in such a short amount of time," Jasper teased.

"Holy hell, Jasper. That was amazing." I got up and put my dishes in the sink. "A great breakfast to begin a busy day."

"What are you planning to do today?" Jasper asked.

"I need to have a scrying session."

"I beg your pardon?"

I laughed at his confusion. "It means I have to sit in front of an obsidian ball, hoping images will flash through my mind."

Jasper looked thoughtful. "Can it work with everyone?"

"Only if your mind is open to it," I said as I walked out to the study.

Jasper was quickly by my side. "Can it work with vampires?"

I stopped. I had no idea if this sort of thing would work for the undead.

Jasper waited patiently for my answer.

"You really want to try?" I asked.

He nodded. "It has caught my interest."

"All right. Let's see what happens." I led him into the study, and instructed him to sit in front of the orb.

"All you really have to do is stare at it. Just be sure your mind is clear."

"All right, darlin'." His golden eyes looked into the black depths of the orb. Suddenly his eyes grew wider, and they turned from topaz to black.

"Jasper?" I said, worried. I reached out and touched his hand, which was resting on the table. Images flashed into my mind.

A young girl with pale green eyes was sitting by a window. Raindrops were pouring down the glass pane, and the sound of thunder shook the house. An older woman knelt by her, taking her delicate hands in hers.

"Gwendolyn," Grandmother Issa said. "I'm so sorry, but your parent have been in an accident."

"Are they okay?" the young girl asked.

"Baby…They've died."

The tears had already started rolling down her face. She had known her parents were dead from the moment they drove off the bridge, two hours before.

"Come here," Isadora said, and held the girl to her. "You'll stay with me now. That's what your parents wanted."

"It's what I want," the girl sobbed. "Promise me you'll never leave me."

"Never," Grandmother Issa said. "Not until you're old enough to be on your own."

"That's not good enough! I never want you to die!" the girl sobbed.

"Shh, my beautiful girl. I still have many years left in me."

As quickly as the vision came, it was gone. I was in shock that I saw what Jasper had seen, and that he had seen that particular memory.

"How old were you?" Jasper asked, his eyes returning to their golden color.

"Twelve."

"I'm so sorry, Gwen. To lose your parents at such a young age-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" I snapped, and I immediately felt bad. "Oh god, I'm sorry, Jasper."

"It's okay. There are things from your past that you want to forget. I understand that." He unconsciously rubbed the scar above his eyebrow. His eyes wandered to where my hand was still on his.

"Oh!" A blush covered my face as I went to remove my hand.

"No, it's fine," Jasper said quickly, and took my hand in his. "It's fine."

"Jasper," I said quietly. "I'm really glad I met you."

"So am I. You're exactly what my heart has been searching for. Gwendolyn, I love you." His golden eyes shone with his love.

"I love you, too, Jasper. Forever."

We stayed like this for a moment, reveling in the feeling of our love. But I had to have my own moment with the orb.

"I need to see if I can find the missing piece to the puzzle," I said finally, breaking the silence.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll sit this one out." Jasper moved out of the chair. "Once is enough."

I laughed. "Was your mind blown?"

"Definitely," he chuckled.

I folded my hands in my lap, and stared at the ball. Images quickly came to my mind.

I saw Jacob leaning against a tree. He looked south, to where I lived, and then he would look to a house that was on the reservation. He sighed deeply; he was having an internal battle. Then I was in a room with a girl. She was looking out her window to where Jacob was. Her hand was on the glass, like she was trying to reach him. The love and heartache swirling around her was almost tangible. I realized I had seen this girl before…

With a jolt, I was broken out of my trance.

"What did you see, Gwen?" Jasper asked, kneeling beside me.

"I know who Jacob loves, and she loves him, too."

"Who is it?"

I took a deep breath. "Leah Clearwater."

**A/N: Was that predictable? Tell me what you think! Review! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I am sooooo sorry that it has taken me so long to update. But my schoolwork is currently ruling my life. Just wonderful. I hope everyone's new year has gotten off to a good start!**

"What the hell?" Jasper asked in disbelief. "They hate each other!"

"I know they do!" I got up from the table and began to pace the room.

"And since they are both werewolves, shouldn't one of them have realized that they've imprinted?" Jasper asked slowly.

"Or even the pack! You know how their minds are connected when they're phased! No way in hell should this still be a secret!"

"Yeah. This is highly unusual."

"Mm-hm," I replied, and then something dawned on me. "Wait, Jasper, after you almost crossed the boundary, and Sam was talking with Carlisle, Leah was telling me to leave Jacob alone…"

"Are you asking me for my empathic opinion?" Jasper asked, smirking.

"What did you feel?" I asked impatiently.

"Not a lot. I was more focused on making sure that Sam was kept calm. But I could feel a lot of conflicted emotions coming from her."

"Like?" I urged him on.

"Anger, annoyance…some undertones of love, but I thought those were for Sam."

"Makes sense," I said. "She and Sam were quite the couple before he imprinted on Emily."

"There was a stronger emotion, too," Jasper said. "It was denial. All of her other emotions were virtually covered up by it."

"Of course!" Everything fell into place now. "Leah knows she's imprinted on Jake, but she doesn't want to face the truth!"

"And the mutt?" Jasper asked.

"…He keeps falling in love! He was definitely in love with Bella, no doubt."

"But he fell in love with you to keep his mind off of Leah?"

"Exactly! Both of them are so stubborn that they will never admit that they've imprinted!"

"Then how will they ever be happy?"

"I got it!" I quickly walked over to Isadora's bookshelf which had many different spell books. "There's a potion for this! It will 'loosen their tongues,' so to speak," I said as I flipped through one of the large volumes.

"Are you sure it isn't alcohol, because I believe getting them drunk could do the same thing," Jasper laughed.

I sighed. "Really, now, _Emmett_?"

Jasper shook his head. "Maybe I spend a bit too much time around the big oaf."

"You think?" I asked sarcastically and turned my back on him.

"You're really cute when you're mad," Jazz commented. "Your face gets all red." He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

My heart must have skipped about three beats as my face turned scarlet.

Jasper chuckled. "I'm glad I have such a strong effect on you."

"I'm sure," I replied as I tried to bring my heart rate down.

Jasper read over my shoulder as I continued my search for the potion. After a few minutes I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Here it is. The _Verum Serum_."

"Truth serum?" Jasper asked.

"Yes. There are many different kinds of truth serum, but this one is specifically designed to get stubborn lovers to confess their undying love for each other."

"Hmm…Interesting. You witches have a spell or potion for everything, don't you?"

"Pretty much." I smirked. "We're awesome like that."

"Is modesty something that your kind lacks?" Jasper asked as he spun me around to face him.

"Hey!" I got defensive. "We can be modest…at times."

"I'm sure." His sweet breath made my head spin, and I almost dropped the spell book I was holding.

"I-I-I should p-probably go make this," I stuttered, trying to gather every shred of dignity I had left.

"Okay." Jasper kindly stepped away from me so I could walk out of the room.

_That man is driving me out of my head! _I thought as I made it into the kitchen. _And I love every minute of it._

In my daze I carelessly dropped the large book on the table and almost squashed Tasha. With a hiss of alarm, she ran under the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I quickly said, and knelt down. "I wasn't paying attention, baby."

Tasha's green eyes glared at me from under the table, her ears laid back. No way was she going to go anywhere near me.

"Well, fine!" I said. "Be that way."

"Having problems with your cat?" a voice suddenly said.

I was so startled that I jumped up and banged my head on the side of the table.

"Oh, my god! Gwendolyn, I am _so _sorry!" Jasper quickly rushed to my side and cradled me in his arms. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," I moaned, my head throbbing. I could feel Jasper's guilt swirling around me. "It's not your fault."

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said contritely.

"I know. I know, Jazz. It's okay." I looked into his golden eyes, and my heart swelled when I saw the love and concern in them. "I'm fine."

He smiled. "Ok then. Can you stand?"

He slowly helped me up, and after a wave of dizziness, I felt perfectly fine.

"See?" I asked. "No harm done. Now let's make this potion."

Jasper read out the ingredients to me as I found them in the pantry.

"…Rose nectar…" Jasper read.

"Rose, rose," I mumbled I under my breath as I searched the through the bottles. "Damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked.

"I'm all out of rose nectar. If I don't have any, then we can't make the potion; it's the key ingredient," I sighed.

"But I thought I smelled rose in your garden?" Jasper asked.

"You did. The smell lingers from them, but they all died when Grandmother Issa did."

"Oh," Jazz said quietly. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Do you know where you can get any nectar?"

"I think I do…" I quickly got my cell out of my pocket and hit the speed dial. After an eternity, the phone was answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Melody, why the hell does it take you three centuries to answer your phone?!" I asked.

"_Oh, um…Well, Seth's here…"_ She said hesitantly.

I glanced over at Jasper, who was trying to hide a smile. I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course he is. Now, Mel, please tell me you have rose nectar there."

"_Uh, let me check." _

I looked at Jasper again, silent laughter making his eyes bright. I smiled at him, shaking my head.

"_Yeah, I do! Why do you need it?"_

"It's for a potion that must be brewed A.S.A.P."

"_I didn't think that the anti-aging potion contained rose,"_ Melody said confusedly.

"It doesn't. This is for a different potion."

"_For who? Which potion?" _Mel asked.

"It's better not to answer that over the phone. I'll tell you in person when we come back to Forks tomorrow."

"_Wait, Gwendolyn, who's 'we'?"_

"Oh, uh…" Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. "Jasper is here."

"_OHMYGOD! That's so awesome!" _Melody squealed into my ear and I flinched. _"He's been with you since you left?"_

"Basically," I replied, and I felt my cheeks get hot.

"_That is so sweet! You two make the perfect match!"_

"Melody, you do realize he can hear what you're saying, right?"

"_Oh. Oops!"_ She laughed. _"Hi, Jasper!"_

Jasper smiled and nodded.

"He says 'hi' back," I told her. "So I'll tell you everything tomorrow, alright?"

"_Okay! Bye, Gwen!"_

"Bye, Mel." I hung up.

"Your cousin reminds me of Alice," Jasper said as he walked over to me.

"I've noticed that, too. They're a perfect match."

"Yes, they are," he agreed. "Now since we only have so much alone-time left before we're back with our families, I would love to make the most of it." Jasper took my hands in his.

"I would like that, too."

I led him onto our back porch, the sunset glowing from behind the trees. We sat down on the old wooden swing that Isadora and I would sit on together when I was little, and we would talk about everything. That night with Jasper, for the first time since my grandmother died, I felt like I was really happy.

I felt complete.

Everything fell into place for me.

As the sky darkened, and as the stars glimmered above us, I curled into Jasper's side, my head resting where his silent heart was.

"I love you, Gwendolyn," Jasper whispered, his breath softly ruffling my dark hair.

"I love you, too, Jasper." I looked up at him, and felt that my future laid with him.

"Gwen, will you let me show you how much I love you?" he asked.

I nodded. "Of course."

Suddenly a wave of emotions swirled around me, around us, as Jasper let down his emotional floodgate. I didn't know that it was possible to feel that much love for one person, but Jasper proved that it was.

I tried to push my love for Jasper towards him, and in the moment, he bent his head down to mine. I closed my eyes. His lips brushed against my forehead, my cheeks, my nose…And finally his lips met mine. His icy lips melted into my soft ones, and my hands found their way into his golden locks, keeping him against me. Our kiss was soft…slow…pure.

It was the most wonderful thing I had ever experienced.

**A/N: Aww! Total sweetness! Now, don't get mad...But I don't know when I'll be able to update again. I have two big papers to write, along with all of my other work. So just please bear with me! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So here's the next chapter! Sorry it took me so long! My life is crazy right now, so I'll be updating sporadically. **

**Enjoy!**

The next morning Jasper and I headed back to Forks. Jasper refused to let me drive, and after unsuccessfully wrestling my keys from his grip, I sat in the passenger seat, my arms crossed.

"Gwendolyn, did you really think you could have gotten these away from me?" Jasper asked, smirking.

"Just shut up and drive," I said, stroking Tasha, who was sitting in my lap.

"Your wish is my command," he responded, and he pulled out of my driveway at record speeds.

"Jasper, will you slow the hell down?!" I asked as we hit the highway. Tasha had taken refuge on the floor; apparently I wasn't the only one afraid of his driving.

"Relax," Jasper said, and a wave of calm encompassed me. "It's near impossible for a vampire to be in a car crash. Our reflexes are too good."

"Of course," I replied. "But just take it easy on my car. I want it to get to Forks in one piece."

"I don't think a tank could destroy this thing. I was inspecting it earlier-"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Ok, I was admiring it, but I could feel something…mystical…about the car," he said. "Did you use your crazy voodoo on it?"

"Naturally. Grandmother helped me cast it. This car is almost entirely indestructible," I said proudly.

"Very nice." Jasper smiled. "So I could, in theory, drive into a brick wall at 100 miles per hour, and this car wouldn't be totally wrecked?"

"No," I said, "but if you ever try that, I swear to God, Jasper-"

"Ok, I won't! I won't! I was just asking!" he laughed.

I slapped his arm. "You're terrible."

He smirked. "Let's listen to some music, shall we?"

He flipped the radio on, and "Wild at Heart" by Gloriana came on. We both started nodding our heads to the beat, and we both knew every word. For the next three minutes we sang in perfect harmony. By the end of the song, we were both laughing.

"Y'know, that is my favorite song to listen to in the summer," I said, smiling.

"It's one of my favorites, too," Jasper replied. "But Em usually tries to destroy my speaker system when I play country music."

"If he tries that again, give me a call, and I'll hex his ass," I said, laughing.

"Oh, I definitely will. You're one of the only people who can put him in his place."

"Yep," I said proudly. "All thanks to my powers."

Jasper chuckled. "You truly are one extraordinary little witch."

I blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."

"So, darlin', shall we stop by your cousin's apartment first, or go to my place?"

"Melody's, definitely. I really want to dump my stuff off there, then go give Bella the potion." I started to feel a little nervous. "What if it backfires?"

"Gwendolyn, please don't worry." Jasper's voice was calm. "Even if it does, Edward can change her."

"But still…The thought of me being the cause of her death-"

"She will be fine. She has complete trust in your abilities, as does Edward. If he didn't think you were capable of pulling this off, he would never allow it." Jasper's voice was dead certain.

I sighed and dropped me head down. "Okay. I suppose you're right."

Jasper's fingers brushed mine, and our fingers were easily entwined. We both relaxed as we felt the other's touch.

"I love you," I whispered, knowing he could hear.

"I love you, too," he replied. "Forever."

***

We arrived in Forks in record time, all thanks to Jasper's crazed driving. He parked in front of Melody's apartment building, and, being the gentleman that he is, carried my suitcase up the stairs for me. Tasha was curled up in my arms, purring contentedly.

When we reached Mel's door, Jasper knocked once before it flew open and an excited witch flung herself at me.

"Oh, my god! I missed you so much! You have so much you need to tell me!" she said as she hugged me; Tasha had jumped out of my arms and into her apartment to avoid being squished by my cousin.

"Calm down, Mel. I'll explain _everything_ to you. I promise," I said as I pulled away from her embrace.

Her eyes were dancing with excitement, and she just then noticed Jasper standing awkwardly to the side, holding my leopard print bag, awaiting further instruction.

"May I put this inside?" Jasper asked, gesturing to the suitcase.

"Oh, yeah! Absolutely! It's great to see you, Jasper!" Melody was practically bouncing.

"It's good to see you, too." Jasper walked past Mel into the apartment, but not before sending me an amused look.

"So, Mel, how's Seth?" I asked as Mel closed the door and we crashed on the sofa. "I'm surprised he isn't here."

"Well, I knew you would be coming over with Jasper, so-" she stopped mid-sentence as my boyfriend appeared in the room, having put my suitcase in the bedroom.

"It was very considerate of you to think of my comfort," Jasper said, and I could feel a wave of gratitude directed to Mel. "Although Seth is a member of the pack that all the Cullens feel comfortable with."

Melody was momentarily speechless, which was something that never happened to her. I don't know if it was the sudden wave of emotion or the manner in which Jasper spoke, but she was without speech for a few minutes.

Jasper took this opportunity to leave. "Gwendolyn, I'm going to head back to the house and tell Bella that you'll be there in a few hours."

"Okay. Thanks, Jazz." I left the silent Melody on the couch and walked over to him. "I'll miss you."

He smiled. "I'll miss you, too." He bent down and kissed my forehead, then my lips. When he straightened back up, his golden eyes glowed with love. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Jasper."

He opened the door and walked out, waving at Melody who had just appeared behind me.

"That was so sweet! You two are the cutest couple! I'm so happy for you!" So much for Mel being speechless.

"Shut up," I said, embarrassed that she had seen that personal moment. "Do you want the news or what?"

"Yes!" she said and dragged me back to the couch. "Tell me everything. From the beginning," she instructed.

Tasha came out from her hiding place under the coffee table and jumped up on the sofa. Her green eyes were inquisitive, like she wanted to hear this as much as Mel did.

"Okay, so it started when I got back home…"

Twenty minutes later, I had told her everything that happened to me: the dreams, the scrying sessions, and, against my better judgment, my first kiss with Jasper. Mel had threatened to smother me with a pillow if I didn't tell her that particular story. After I had finished, it took her a few moments to process everything.

"So," she began. "You're trying to tell me that Jacob and Leah are imprints? Jacob Black, the guy you kissed that night we went to the club, has imprinted on Leah, the sister of my Seth?"

"Yes," I said calmly. "That is exactly right."

"What the hell is wrong with the world?" She slumped back on the sofa. "Both of these morons refuse to confess their love- a love that will make their lives a million times better- because they're too damn proud? This is straight out of _Pride and Prejudice_!" she cried.

"I know, I know. And that's why we have to somehow slip the potion to them! To make their lives better!"

"But how?" Mel asked.

"I don't know. The potion will work better if they're in the same room when they ingest it."

"I know!" Melody sat upright. "This Saturday there's a party in La Push for Sam and Emily. It's to celebrate their engagement. There will be plenty of opportunities to slip it to them!"

"Mel, you are a genius!" I hugged her. "And that doesn't happen every day."

"Hey!" She pushed me away playfully. "I have my moments!"

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Now, Mel, you have to remember you cannot, under any circumstances, tell this to Seth." My tone got serious. "If he blabs to Leah, it could screw everything up."

"Okay, I won't tell him. I promise," Mel said.

"Good." I got up and grabbed my purse. "Want to come with me to give this potion to Bella?"

"Why not?" She shrugged, and went to fetch her own purse. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Pretty sure," I said, but my voice wavered. I cleared my throat. "This _will_ work."

"It probably will. You've always been better at potions than I have." Melody was putting her trust in my abilities, just like Bella, and Edward, and Jasper…

"Gwen, you all right?" Melody put her hand on my shoulder and shook me gently. "You're not panicking, are you?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Just thinking. Let's go."

Tasha followed us out to the car and in a few minutes we had arrived at the Cullens' mansion. The size and beauty of this home still stunned me.

"Freaking vampires," Melody said, humor in her tone. "Live forever and build a mansion that one of us couldn't even begin to pay for in our lifetime."

I shoved her. "You do realize they can probably hear you?"

She smirked. "Yep. Fully aware of that fact."

I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Emmett, a smirk on his face. "Freaking vampires, huh?"

Melody turned scarlet, and I laughed. "Told you."

"Hey, Gwendolyn! Jasper's been moping around since he came back. He's been missing his freaky witch girlfriend." Emmett was loving this.

"Emmett McCarty, be nice to our family!" The distinct maternal voice made Emmett's smirk vanish, and Tasha's head popped out of my purse. Esme appeared beside her adopted son, and she smiled kindly at us. "Please forgive him. He's such a child."

Melody laughed. "No problem, Mrs. Cullen. We've dealt with people like him before."

"Please, call me Esme," she said. "And do come in! Emmett, how could you not invite them in?" she reprimanded him as we came into the house.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Emmett was totally powerless against Esme.

"That's okay, dear. Now run along and tell Bella that we have company."

Emmett ran upstairs, but not before giving me a look that said, "You'll pay for this."

"So, how have you been?" Esme asked as she led us into the living room.

"Very well. Jasper and I were able to spend a lot of time together." I smiled at the memories. Tasha was moving restlessly in my bag, and I opened it to let her out. She immediately started to follow Esme, watching her with her ears pricked.

"Tasha seems happy to see you," Melody observed.

"Oh, yes. She's quite affectionate with me," Esme said gently, and she scooped Tasha up into her arms. Tasha rubbed her head against Esme's shoulder.

"It's so wonderful that you two have found each other," Esme said, and I knew she was talking about Jasper and I. "You are a wonderful addition to our family, as well as your cousin."

"I'm family?" Melody asked.

"Of course you are, dear! You are related to Gwendolyn, after all, even though you are Seth's imprint."

We entered the living room, where the whole family was gathered. Jasper rushed over to my side and hugged me. His embrace made my heart sing, and unfortunately, it also skipped several beats.

Emmett, who was sitting on one of the sofas, chuckled. "I thought only Bella's heart did that."

Alice smacked him in the head. "Let them be! They're sweet!"

"That's what I keep telling Gwen!" Melody said, and she and Alice started talking excitedly.

"Jasper, make your family go away," I groaned into his chest.

"Darlin', they're your family, too," he reminded me.

I sighed. "Damn it."

Everyone in the room laughed, even Rosalie. I looked around the room and found Bella sitting in Edward's lap, his arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

"Hey, Gwen," Bella said, her head resting on Edward's shoulder. "You have the potion?"

"Yep." Thank god she brought it up first. "It's ready and waiting."

"Why don't we take this into my study?" Carlisle offered. "I'm sure Bella would like some privacy."

"Thank you, Carlisle," Bella said. "C'mon, Edward."

Bella, Edward, Jasper, Carlisle, Melody, and I headed upstairs. Carlisle opened a door that was further from the other rooms on the floor, and I was shocked to see so many paintings on the walls.

"Each painting tells a story," Jasper informed me as he closed the door. "I'll tell you one day."

I nodded, and Mel, Bella, and I sat in the leather seats that were near Carlisle's desk. Jasper and Edward stood next to us, and Carlisle sat behind his desk. I reached into my purse and pulled out the vial.

"What are the contents of this potion, Gwendolyn?" Carlisle asked.

I handed the vial to him, knowing he would like a close look at it and rattled off a list of herbs, and ended with the snake venom. Everyone's head snapped in my direction, except for Mel's.

"There's snake venom in this?" Edward asked incredulously. "And Bella is supposed to ingest it?"

"Yes. It won't hurt her if she has the magic gene, which is what I've concluded she has."

"And if she doesn't?" Edward asked.

"She'll die." Carlisle said this before I could. "You'll have to turn her if the potion fails."

"But you guys have to trust Gwen!" Melody said. "She's one of the best of our kind! This potion will work!"

Edward opened his mouth to object, but Bella stopped him. "Edward, it was my idea to do this. And I'll stick with this plan. I have every faith in Gwendolyn's skills. I want to take the potion."

Edward's shoulders relaxed at his angel's voice, and he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Bella turned to me. "Let me have the potion."

I handed her the vial and she uncorked it. She stared at the clear liquid for a second before lifting it to her lips. Everyone was still, holding our breaths. She closed her brown eyes and drank the poison, the liquid easily going down her throat. After the last drop was gone, she looked at me expectantly.

"When will we know it's working?" she asked.

"In a day or so. You'll know it when it happens."

"Okay." She nodded her head. "Let's not keep everyone waiting downstairs." She got up and handed the vial back to me. "Thank you."

My eyes met hers. "You're welcome."

As we walked out of the room, Carlisle's voice stopped me. "Gwendolyn, I would like to speak to you."

Jasper stared at me, and I nodded for him to leave. "What is it, Carlisle?" I asked as I closed the door.

"You need to know how I knew your grandmother."

**A/N: Don't hate me for the cliffy! Reviews will help me write faster! So review! :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here is the next chapter just in time for Valentine's Day! Enjoy!**

I sat down in one of the leather chairs in Carlisle's study, my gaze curious as I looked at the ancient vampire.

"Your grandmother, Isadora, and I were very close," Carlisle began. "We met in Chicago, in 1918."

Why did that date sound familiar? "1918? Wasn't that-?"

"The year Edward was turned? Yes, Gwendolyn. It was also the year of the Spanish Influenza epidemic. Isadora and I met in the hospital I was working in. I was on one of my rounds when I saw a woman sneak in and start administering some sort of liquid to a few of the patients. I went over to her, thinking that she may have been insane. She was, after all, wearing some old clothing and her blonde hair was matted. Her blue eyes turned to me, and her gaze held understanding. 'I can help them,' she told me. 'I'm not a common folk, just like you. But not exactly in your condition.' Her words confused me, and that's pretty hard to do."

"Stump a vampire?" I smirked, knowing that only my grandmother could confuse a being who's able to think about many subjects at once.

Carlisle smiled. "Yes. I took her hand, the one that wasn't holding the vial. 'Do you know what I am?' I asked her. And she replied, '_Vampiro_.'"

"_Vampiro_?" I asked.

"It means 'vampire' in Italian. It was that moment I knew she was different. Her being so young and seemingly poor and knowing Italian? Impossible. 'Do you know what I am?' she asked me. I shook my head. She glanced around the room, filled with dead and dying patients. 'I'm a witch,' she whispered. 'This potion? It will help heal their bodies. But I only have a limited amount. Where are your sickest patients?' Now, most people would think her insane and have her thrown in an asylum, but I knew she was telling the truth. She recognized what I was, and I put my trust in her."

My respect for Carlisle, which had already been very great, increased as he told me that he trusted my grandmother so completely.

"I led her to the room where most of the children were. The ones that hadn't died were given the potion, and immediately their coloring improved. I was shocked, to say the least. In ten minutes the vial was empty, but she promised me that she was going to run back to her house and bring the rest. As I waited for her return, I met the Masens- Edward Senior, Elizabeth, and her son-"

"Edward," I finished.

"Yes. His father had already died; he never regained consciousness when he was brought in. His mother was sick, but alert. And I was sure that Edward would be the next to die. I was praying for your grandmother to hurry."

"When did she return?"

"It was an hour later. She had three vials with her, and she asked me once more to lead the way to the sickest patients. I, naturally, led her to Edward and his mother. 'No,' she told me when she saw them. 'Not them.' Something in my expression tipped her off of my disbelief. 'Please trust me,' she begged. 'Show me other people.' So I did. She soon didn't need my help in seeing who was in dire need of her potion, and I left her to tend to the rest of my patients. That night Elizabeth Masen, who was drawing her final breaths, begged me to save her son. The way she said it was like she knew what I was. And then I realized Isadora must have told her."

"Where was my grandmother at this time?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure. I would have called for her then, to give Elizabeth the potion, but she hadn't told me her name. So I was left to helplessly watch Elizabeth Masen fall asleep, and never wake up. I looked at Edward, and he was everything I wanted for a son. After wheeling his mother to the morgue, I brought him there, and I bit him. His heart, which had started to slow its beating, soon beat rapidly at the presence of the venom. I had to get him back to my house, but my predatory side was coming out."

"The taste of his blood set you off?"

"Yes, Gwendolyn." Carlisle actually looked ashamed.

"It was natural. Your instinct. The point is you fought it."

His golden eyes looked into mine, and I could see the years of knowledge and experience swimming in them. "True. But what didn't help was your grandmother. Right after I had bitten Edward, she appeared in the doorway of the morgue. She had followed me. 'Get back,' I warned her. 'I don't want to hurt you.' 'You won't,' she said simply. 'Now I think you should get him out of here.' She spoke so calmly, I was amazed. I could've killed her in a second, and yet her heartbeat was perfectly normal."

"My grandmother wasn't intimidated by anything," I told him proudly.

"Neither are you," Carlisle said, smiling. "Your grandmother helped me move Edward back to my house. She used a cloaking enchantment, of sorts, to hide his body as we walked to my home. Once we arrived there, and I had made Edward as comfortable as possible, Isadora sat next to him, watching the transformation. Not that she didn't have compassion for Edward's pain, but she was fascinated by it. As we waited for his transformation to be complete, we learned about each other. She introduced herself to me, and I to her. She asked me where I had traveled, and how old I was. I asked her about her origins, and how her potions worked. She gave me honest answers to my inquiries, never seeming bothered by them. And then I asked her why she hadn't saved Edward's mother. 'I had a scrying session, before I returned to the hospital, Dr. Cullen, and knew that she must die, and that Edward must be turned.' That's what she told me. She said that it would tamper with the future if those two events didn't happen. I didn't ask anything more on the subject. When it seemed that Edward's transformation was coming to an end, I advised her to leave, so he wouldn't kill her in his newborn state. 'He won't touch me,' she said. 'Witch blood is unappetizing to your kind.'"

"Wait," I interrupted. "It is?"

"You didn't know?" Carlisle looked shock.

"No. I- I didn't know. Grandmother never told me about vampires, or werewolves for that matter…"

"Well, you can understand my shock, then," Carlisle said. "And sure enough, when Edward woke up, he didn't try to go after Isadora. And that's when I knew I had met a new companion. Isadora helped me keep Edward under control his first year, and our friendship grew. Now, I don't want you to think that your grandmother and I were anything more than friends, Gwendolyn," he said seriously. "There was nothing romantic between us."

I nodded my understanding.

"We moved around quite a few times, but Isadora never minded. She was quite adventurous, and made a living selling her potions. I was sure that one day she might ask me to change her, but in the years we spent together, she didn't seem to age at all. She was just as youthful as Edward or I. And then one day…" Carlisle's voice grew sad, and I could feel the waves of depression roll off of him.

"What, Carlisle?"

"She disappeared. She had left a short letter, explaining that she had to leave, that she didn't want to cause any relationship problems."

"Relationship problems?" I asked.

"Between Esme and I. She left the day I turned Esme. She said that she didn't want our friendship to hinder the new love that I had found. She told me that she would keep in touch with me, and that she was thankful I had taken her into my home. She told me to give her love to Edward, and gave me her happiness that I had found my mate. The last line of her letter confused me the most, though." Carlisle's brow furrowed slightly.

"What was it?"

"Let me show you." He opened a drawer in his desk, and withdrew an old envelope, slightly crumpled and weathered with age. He handed it to me, and I held it delicately. I carefully pulled the letter out, and I immediately recognized Isadora's writing. My eyes scanned the words, and her voice echoed back in my mind. Then my eyes rested on the last line of writing.

"_We will meet again, my dear friend. Your kin and my kin will be forever connected_," I read aloud.

"Until you showed up on my doorstep, Gwendolyn, I had no idea what Isadora was talking about."

"Jasper and I?" I asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Did you ever see her again, after she left?"

"No, I sadly did not. I received many letters from her, over the years, but we haven't talked in person since 1921."

With this final bit of information, I stood up. "Thank you, Carlisle."

"You're very welcome. You are the only person I've ever told that story to, except for Edward. None of the others know."

"I'll keep it that way," I promised him.

"I would never ask you to keep anything from Jasper, or your cousin, for that matter."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Carlisle led me to the door of his office, always the gentleman. As I turned to walk out, I paused.

"Carlisle," I began, "You said you met my grandmother in 1918? And she was only twenty?"

"Yes," he answered.

"But when she died-" The truth suddenly dawned on me.

"She was, at least, 110 years old when she died, Gwendolyn. I believe she kept the truth from you because she didn't want you to know about her life with me. With our kind."

"That makes sense," I said. "I'm not mad at her for keeping that from me. She always knew what was best." I smiled slightly.

"I think you should go downstairs and spend some time with your mate. I'm sure he's missing you terribly."

I laughed at that. "And my poor cousin has to endure the torments of Emmett."

Carlisle laughed with me.

As I walked downstairs, I realized I could understand why Grandmother Issa had decided to befriend him. And Edward.

Wait…Edward never told me he had known my grandmother.

_Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! _I shouted in my mind. _You have some explaining to do!_

**A/N: So a little bit of a cliffy. Reviews are sweeter than Valentine candy! Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So two of my friends have been giving me hell about finishing this chapter. Well I finished it! And I need to give Melody some credit for the events in this chap. We had an epic text conversation which resulted in this chapter. Enjoy!**

Once I had entered the living room, I quickly scanned the room for Edward. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting beside each other contentedly; Jasper was standing by the window, talking to Melody, and Bella was curled up in Edward's lap. The look on Edward's face told me he had heard my mental shout.

"Edward," I started, "Why didn't you tell me you had known Isadora?"

A flash of panic crossed his face as the others turned toward him questioningly.

"Gwendolyn," Edward said as he got up, carefully moving Bella off of his lap and onto the cushion beside him, "May I talk to you in the other room?"

A small whimper of protest came from Bella, but a crooked smile from Edward reassured her. Edward quickly walked out of the room and led me to an empty room down the hall.

"Why did you ask me that in front of the others?" he asked as he closed the door. "No one knows that your grandmother stayed with Carlisle and I!"

"I'm sorry," I said. "But I felt like you should have told me before now!"

"I didn't tell you because I felt that it was Carlisle's responsibility; he spent more time with her than I did. They had a more developed relationship than she and I."

"Fine then," I replied. "But why is it so secretive? That Isadora spent time with you two?"

"It was for the protection of the others," Edward admitted. "It's one thing to know that there are vampires and shape-shifters in the world, it's another thing to know that there is actual magic. It is almost impossible to decipher a witch from a normal human, so Carlisle and I have always been on-edge, I suppose, since we met Issa."

I was surprised that he used her nickname, but pushed the thought away and asked, "Why?"

"A witch could easily expose what we are without exposing her true nature, so Carlisle and I didn't want that anxiety on the rest of the family."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

"Yes. That is why no one knows." His facial features relaxed into the Edward that we all knew and loved. "Shall we go back to the living room?"

"Sure." I shrugged, not wanting to show my excitement at the thought of being near Jasper, but Edward could read it in my thoughts and smiled.

As he opened the door, we both heard a scuffle of movement, and Edward threw open the door to reveal a fleeing Emmett.

"Stop!" I said, and I immediately froze him. I walked over to the now-still vampire on the floor, his eyes full of shock.

"Why, oh why, Emmett, did you feel the need to eavesdrop?" Edward asked him as I removed the spell.

Emmett scrambled up off the floor, pretty ungracefully for a vampire, and actually looked a little scared of me.

"Everyone wanted to know what was up, so I volunteered to listen!" he said.

"It was none of your business!" I said irately. "It was between Edward and I!"

"I'm sorry!" And then Emmett did something that shocked me- he cowered. He actually _cowered_!

"What do you think, Edward? Should we let him go?" I asked, turning to him, smirking.

Edward had a matching smirk on his face. "I think you've scared him enough."

I backed up, and Emmett was gone in a split second.

When Edward and I returned to the living room, everyone was laughing at Em, his head down in shame. Jasper walked over to me and pulled me towards the couch, where we both sat down next to Mel. Edward went back to Bella, who was sound asleep on the sofa.

"Gwen, is it normal for her to be so tired?" Edward asked, clearly concerned.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "She'll be out for at least another…What, six hours?" I asked Mel.

"At least," she agreed.

Edward nodded, and then said he was taking her up to their room. He lifted her effortlessly, and he walked out of the room with his wife.

"So Melody," Emmett began, "How come Seth left his precious imprint alone in a house full of vampires? Don't you miss your werewolf?" he taunted.

A look came into Mel's eyes that only I had seen. Melody wasn't one to use her magic for violence (unlike me), but a deadly glow lit up her hazel eyes. Before anyone could do anything, Emmett was hanging upside.

"_Levicorpus_?" I asked her calmly.

"Yep," she replied. "And Grandmother always said Harry Potter wasn't useful."

"So you guys learned some of your magic from the series?" Jasper asked conversationally as we all stared at a struggling Emmett.

"Yeah. It's a risky business, trying to create a new spell or charm, but it's well worth it," I sighed.

Rosalie looked disgustedly at her mate. "Babe, you really need to stop pissing off the witches."

"Rosie, it's not my fault that this happens to me!"

"Actually, Emmett, it is," Jasper told him. "And after the first time you should have learned to keep your mouth shut."

"Shut up, Jazz!" Em shouted.

"Kids, are you playing nicely?" Esme's musical voice floated from upstairs.

"Yes!" we all replied in unison, and Mel quickly dropped Emmett before she was scolded. Em was able to right himself before falling on his head, much to our disappointment.

"That was so not cool!" Emmett said as he ran his fingers through his dark curls, trying to not look embarrassed.

"Oh, but it was," I replied. "Very much so."

Emmett sat on the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest. "You're so mean."

"Get over it," Melody replied.

"So girls," Jasper asked, addressing Mel and I, "How long have you two lived in the area?"

Ah, so Jasper wanted to know a little about our history. "Well, our family has lived in this area for about a century, I suppose."

"Yeah. Grandmother loved it here, being so surrounded by nature…Every witch's dream." Mel sighed next to me, her gaze focused outside.

"It must be nice to live where your ancestors did," Jasper said.

"Yes. My house was actually the original house that my grandmother grew up in. It's been remodeled a bit, of course. But it's still ancient."

"So, Melody, what made you come to Forks?" Em asked quietly, not wanting to upset her.

"Well, part of our magical family left our ancestral area and moved here. They're distant blood relatives, but I had known them forever, so when I graduated from high school, I came here to be with them."

"So how are they?" I asked Mel. "Angela never e-mails me anymore." A hint of sadness crept into my voice.

"Well, that's probably because she's been so wrapped up in her last year of high school and trying to find a college and her new boyfriend."

"Crap!" I said. "I had forgotten that she graduated! I was so wrapped up in caring for Grandmother that I completely forgot!"

"Well, let's take a trip to see her before she leaves for college! We need to hang out!"

"Excellent!" I said. It was then that I remembered the rest of the people in the room with us. "We just kinda left you out, didn't we?" I smiled sheepishly.

"That's okay, darlin'." Jasper squeezed my hand. "But I have a question: Were you talking about Angela Webber?"

"Yep! The Webbers are a fairly new section of our family, so their skills are pretty underdeveloped. Why?" I asked.

"Oh, no reason," Jasper said nonchalantly, but the smile that played at the corners of his mouth said differently.

"You're lying!" I accused him playfully. "Do you know Angela?"

"Well, she's much closer to Bella than any of us are," Emmett said.

"Wait, Bella knows Angela?"

"They've best friends ever since Bella came to Forks. She's a really sweet girl," Jasper said.

"Eddie thinks so, too," Em added.

"So she's been Cullen-approved?" I asked.

"Yep!" All of us laughed.

"Are you kids having fun?" Esme asked as she floated into the room with a tray of food. "I was just concerned that you two girls may be a little snackish."

"Well, thank you, Esme," I said. I looked at the food: grapes, crackers, cheese slices and two glasses of ginger ale.

"This looks wonderful!" Mel said. "Thank you!"

"Well, I'm glad that my culinary skills are useful." She smiled.

"Mom, did you know that Angela is a witch?" Emmett asked excitedly.

Esme's eyes widened. "Is she really?"

"Yes, but her magic isn't as strong as ours. She's just able to do little things," I informed her.

"So she can't levitate?" Emmett asked.

"I'm a highly-skilled witch and _I_ can barely levitate!" I said.

"I think he meant that she can't levitate _objects_," Jasper clarified.

I laughed. "Nope. You're safe, Emmett."

"Thank god!" he sighed.

"Will Bella be informed about this?" Esme asked.

"I think that's a good idea, but not until after she's gotten over the side effects of the potion."

Esme nodded. "Okay then. Well ,I won't intrude on your conversation any longer." And with that, she vanished from the room.

Melody and I started to snack on the food she brought, but it was kind of awkward being the only two people eating, especially with Rose's obvious look of disgust on her face.

Suddenly, Mel looked at the two grapes in her hand and she made them float.

"Really, Mel?" I asked her, trying to suppress my laughter.

"What?" she asked, obviously finding no fault in what she was doing.

"You shouldn't play with your food," Emmett teased.

"And you shouldn't play with yours," I replied. "You wrestle with bears."

"So?" he asked.

"It's the exact same concept as what Mel is doing."

Jasper was snickering as Emmett and I bickered for the next ten minutes. By that time Melody had eaten the grapes and Rose had tuned us out.

"I think Gwen has won the argument, Emmett," Rose finally said. "So shut up."

"Why are you taking her side? I'm your husband!"

"Because you're being an idiot!"

"Thank you for getting your husband under control, Rose," I said.

"Sure," she replied smoothly.

"Why are you being so nice? So civil? You're never like that!" Em said.

Rosalie was suddenly off the couch, towering over Emmett. "I can be nice if I want to!"

Em was unfazed by her anger. "But, babe, you always act like a bitch to them. This sudden change is shocking!"

That was it. Rosalie smacked Emmett and then they were heading out of the room, Rose dragging her idiot of a husband behind her.

"Save me," Emmett whimpered as he went out of the room.

"Does this happen a lot?" Mel asked.

"Almost every day. Emmett is always getting on Rose's nerves," Jasper said.

Suddenly we heard some shouting, a few pain-filled protests from Emmett, and then the couple walked back into the room.

"Sit," Rose commanded Emmett, and he sat obediently on the sofa. She took the seat next to him.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes, and Melody got up and went to look out the window. Then we all heard the distant cry of a wolf.

Melody was ecstatic. She whipped out her phone and sent and urgent text message.

"Seth misses you, I presume?" I asked as she grabbed her purse from the sofa.

"Yes! That's our signal when he's done with a patrol! I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon!" I could hear the genuine anguish in her voice.

"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, the witch has feelings!"

Do I really need to point out the speaker of that phrase?

Wow, was Melody pissed off. I could feel the power coming from her, and knew she was about to cast one hell of a spell on Emmett.

I jumped off the sofa and grabbed her shoulders, standing in her line of sight. "Mel, calm down. You don't want to ruin any of Esme's furniture, do you?" I asked.

The flames that were burning in her eyes died down.

"Good girl. Now I will drive you to La Push because I don't think you can handle being behind the wheel of a car right now."

"No need for that!" a voice said, and Alice was suddenly next to us. "I'll drive her!"

"Thanks, Alice," I said.

She grabbed Mel's hand and started to pull her out of the room. "C'mon, Mel!"

Melody gave a slight wave to Jasper and me while averting her gaze from Emmett, who was curled against Rosalie in terror.

With my cousin out of the room, Emmett relaxed a little.

"Emmett," Jasper said. "Stop pissing off the witches."

Emmett nodded mutely.

"Come on, babe," Rose said and got up from the couch. "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone." She gave us a knowing smile.

"Okay!" Emmett jumped up, and just before leaving the room said, "If you two decide to fool around, don't mess up the furniture. Esme will kill you."

Rose grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room.

"I hate my brother," Jasper said, turning to me.

"I hate him, too," I told him.

"So now that the scary people are gone," Jasper started, "Would you like to tell me who Isadora is?"

And for the next hour I told Jasper about what Carlisle and I talked about, all the while with him holding me in his arms.

**A/N: So some more thanks to another one of my friends for Emmett's "Butter my butt" line. It had me laughing my ass off, and hopefully yours too. **

**Reviews make the greatest birthday presents. (My birthday is this month!) So please review! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So March was crazy for me, but thank God for spring break! I was finally able to write!**

**Oh, and just for a heads-up: Things are going to get a little spicy at the end of this chapter. Just a warning. ;)**

"So," Jasper began after I finished my story, "Your grandmother pretty much predicted that we would be together."

I nodded my head, which was currently resting on his chest. "Yep."

His fingers stroked my dark hair. "Not even Ali saw that coming so soon."

"Well, my being connected to my grandmother by blood probably strengthens those kinds of predictions."

"True," Jasper agreed.

I was lying on top of Jasper, one of his arms around my waist to prevent me from falling off the couch. My one hand was delicately stroking the scars that were visible above the neck of his shirt; the fingers of my other were intertwined with Jazz's.

Never before had I felt so at ease with another person. Everything about Jasper said "home." I knew that he was the only person I would ever want to share my life with, and most likely my afterlife.

Totally content, my eyes slowly closed. Jasper's steady breathing filled my head. My breathing slowed down, almost matching his. His relaxed body, even though it was hard as stone, made the perfect bed; we fit together like two puzzle pieces, creating the picture of true love. My thoughts became more obscure as sleep overtook me.

"Okay, Melody has been safely dropped off to her werewolf," Alice said as she entered the room. I shot up at the sudden noise, and Jazz made sure I didn't fall off in my confusion.

"Oh my god," Ali said. "I didn't mean to interrupt you two."

"That's okay," I said, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"The human was just sleeping," Jasper laughed softly, trying to lighten the mood.

"I should go," Ali said, and with a cryptic look on her face, and left the room before either Jasper or I could stop her.

I ran a hand through my hair. "What's wrong with Alice?"

Jasper sighed. "Her emotions were a mess."

"She looked lonely," I said quietly after a pause.

"She is. Everyone has a mate except for her."

I scooted away from Jazz on the sofa. "I took you away from her."

"No, Gwendolyn, don't say that," Jasper said and wrapped his arms around me.

"But it's true! I know she said she was fine with it, that she understood, but still!"

Jasper made a hushing sound. "She will be fine. She's strong. And she will find her mate."

"I know. I just hope it's sooner rather than later."

"We all do." He looked at the door through which she exited. "We all do."

Just then, my phone began vibrating. I reached over to my purse and saw I had a text from Melody.

_Go check your e-mail. You're in a for a surprise._

"Need to use my laptop?" Jazz asked as he saw the message.

"Only if you don't mind," I said as I put my phone away.

"C'mon." He took my hand and led me upstairs to a room towards the end of the hallway.

"This is my room," Jasper said as he opened the door.

I paused for a minute as I walked in, taking in the appearance of the room. A bed with a pale blue bedspread was against the far wall. A desk with a laptop on it was facing towards the large window that looked out over the woods. But what I noticed the most were the four large, wooden bookcases filled with books.

"Oh my god," I gasped as I walked over to the first one. "These are all yours?"

"Yeah," Jasper said, almost sheepishly. "You get to read a lot when you have forever."

I carefully ran my fingers over the spines of the books, old and new alike.

"Most of them are about the Civil War," Jasper said, standing a few feet away from me, "But I have some classics as well."

"I never pegged you as a Shakespeare person," I told him as I lifted a copy of _Othello_ off a shelf. "I read this sophomore year of high school. Actually, I read a _translation_ of this."

"Can't understand the language?" he asked, smirking.

"Nope! But it was a good story, all the same." I smiled.

"I'll basically read anything," he informed me, walking over to one of the other shelves. His golden eyes swept over the books in front of him.

"Like me," I said.

"And probably like you, I also like this author." He took down a rather large volume of collected works. "Am I right?"

I replaced _Othello_ on the shelf and walked over to the book Jasper was holding. I gasped, "I _love_ Poe!"

"I thought you probably did." He watched as my eyes scanned the pages, looking for one particular poem. When I found it, my eyes must've lit up because Jasper came behind me so he could read over my shoulder.

"_We grew in age–and love–together/Roaming the forest, and the wild/My breast her shield in wintry weather/And when the friendly sunshine smil'd/And she would mark the opening skies/I saw no Heaven–but in her eyes_," Jasper recited, and I knew he didn't pick those lines at random.

"I love _Tamerlane_," I sighed, a slight blush on my cheeks. I closed the book and set it back on the shelf. "It's really beautiful."

"Very beautiful," Jasper said, but I had a feeling he wasn't talking about the poem. I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind, and he kissed my hair. Yep, he _definitely _was not talking about the poem.

"Jazz," I sighed, loving how close he was to me, "I need to check my e-mail."

He sighed in defeat, his arms dropping from around me, and I went over and sat at his desk. My fingers breezed over the keys of the laptop and I was soon logged into my e-mail. What I saw made me gasp.

"No way," I said, excitement flowing through me. "No way, no way, NO WAY!"

"What's got you so excited?" Jasper asked, and I could tell he was smiling.

I didn't answer him; I just simply read the new e-mail.

_Hey, everyone!_

_So I just got back from an expedition to Everest. No big deal. Haha! It was awesome, and the view was spectacular. But I would never want to go through that nightmare again! Once was enough! So I just wanted to say I'm back in the States and I'm safe and secure! _

_Yours Truly,_

_Antonio_

"Who is Antonio?" Jasper asked.

"Oh! Me and Antonio go way back! Like sophomore year of high school back!" I spun the chair around to face Jasper.

"Really?" he asked, and I could tell he was genuinely curious.

"Yeah. So you could imagine that not a lot of guys were into me because I was so…" I searched for the right word.

"Mysterious? Creepy? _Dangerou_s?" Jasper suggested, a smirk on his face.

"Very funny, but that's all true. People did _not_ mess with me without consequences."

"Like Em?"

"Exactly! So Antonio came to my school sophomore year and he didn't know about the rumors surrounding me. So he started to hang out around me, I guess because we were both misfits, in a way. So he started liking me, and I started liking him-" I broke off when I saw the glimmer of jealousy in Jasper's eyes. "That was a long time ago! And he was the only guy I didn't want to strangle! So we started dating."

"How long did that last?"

"For the rest of our high school careers. Then we went to different colleges and we're still close friends. He's still my best guy friend."

Jasper nodded. "So he's…adventurous, I'm guessing?"

"Definitely. But I would have liked it if he told me he was going to pull some stupid-ass stunt like this without telling me! He could've gotten killed! I haven't heard from him in six months! I've been worried sick! That idiot!" I was practically growling.

"Calm down, Gwen," Jasper said, and a wave of calm washed over me. "At least he's not dead."

"And he didn't even have the decency to send an actual, personal e-mail to me! This is to all his friends and family!" I slumped forward, my head in my hands. "I'm fine," I said as I saw Jasper lean towards me. "He just drives me insane sometimes."

"Has he been on the receiving end of your spells?" Jasper asked.

"Hell yeah. But I think he liked it." I made a face. "Is that why Emmett keeps pissing me off?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jasper said, a grin on his face.

I logged out of my e-mail account, not bothering to e-mail Antonio back. I looked at the clock. It was six in the evening.

"I better get home," I sighed. "It's been a _long_ day."

"Let me drive you," Jasper offered, and I immediately agreed.

We went back downstairs and I grabbed my purse. When I got to the door, I called for Tasha.

"Hey, girl! Come here, Tasha!"

A faint jingling sounded in the hallway and a streak of black ran up to me. I picked her up and cradled her. "Have you been with Esme all this time?"

"Yes, she has," Esme said as she walked towards me. "She's such a sweet thing," she cooed.

"She's getting spoiled by all that attention," Jasper said, who was halfway out the door.

I stuck my tongue out at him as Esme said, "Nonsense!"

We all laughed and Esme gave me a hug. "See you soon."

On the way to Mel's apartment Jasper actually drove the speed limit. I think he was just making sure not to put me under any more stress than they had been put through.

When he pulled up to her building, the apartment window was dark. She wasn't home.

"You can come up, if you want," I offered.

"Okay," Jasper agreed.

We went into the building and I unlocked the apartment door. Jasper quickly turned on the lights for me, or as he put it, "Someone who has weaker eyes than him."

"Be nice!" I said to him as I put Tasha on the sofa. She looked at Jasper, then at me with those piercing green eyes. She walked off to the kitchen where I heard the quiet sound of her crunching her food.

"So, Jazz," I started, "Whatcha wanna do?"

"What do you want to do?" he asked as he moved a little closer to me.

"I think…I want to get ready for bed." I gave him a wicked smile and headed into my room. He, of course, followed. "I'm just going to grab my pajamas and then I need to go brush my teeth."

"You need a human minute?" Jasper asked as he sat on the edge of my bed.

"Yep. Be right back." I flashed him a smile and practically ran to the bathroom.

I was a flutter of nerves. I didn't understand why. Jasper had stayed with me and even laid in the same bed as me back at my house. Why would here be any different? Then a little voice in the back of my mind answered, _Because you're not truly alone. _Melody could walk in at any time. And with the slight…_tension_ between Jasper and I…Oh god. We were one step from becoming another Seth and Mel! I almost choked on my toothpaste.

I quickly brushed my hair and headed back to my room. When I entered I stopped and stared at Jasper. His eyes were closed, his hands comfortably behind his head. The moonlight coming in from my window made his skin look as white as snow, and his golden hair had an ethereal shine to it. He really looked like an angel.

I was so caught up in his appearance I barely realized he had opened his eyes, but my stare was reflected in them. How could that be? I couldn't look anywhere near as beautiful as him.

"Come here, Gwendolyn," he said softly, like he didn't want to break the trance we were both in.

I got in bed beside him, and his eyes took me in- my dark hair, my pale skin, my light eyes, and my dark blue nightgown. Just the look in his eyes was enough to make me come undone.

_Now I know what a bird feels like when caught in the stare of a snake._

Jasper's hand stroked my hair away from my face, and he let it drop down to my neck.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered.

And that's what did it. I lifted my head, and our lips met. The kisses we had shared before were sweet and innocent. This one was filled with passion. He moved to hover over me, and his lips left mine before gently kissing down to my throat. Even I could hear my heart pounding in my head, and I knew he could hear and feel the rushing of my blood. He gently kissed across my collarbone, leaving a path of fire. My hands had fastened in his hair, holding him to me. He traced circles with his thumbs on my hips, and I brought his head up for another deep kiss.

"Darlin', we need to stop. I don't know how much control I have," he told me, his voice rough.

"I know," I sighed, part in frustration and part because I was so swept up in him. "I understand."

"You're too tempting," he whispered against my lips before kissing me again.

"Hey, Gwen, you home? I need to talk-" The bedroom door swung open, and Melody froze.

"Melody!" I shouted, and Jasper practically jumped away from me to stand beside the window innocently.

"Oh my god," Melody said. "Oh god. Um…"

"Kitchen, Mel. _Now_," I told her.

She ran out of the room.

"I think I'll go for a hunt," Jasper said quickly. He kissed my forehead. "Don't do anything rash."

"Like kill my cousin?"

He smiled. "Good night."

He walked out of my room and out of the apartment.

Now I was left to deal with my intrusive cousin.

What could possibly happen?

**A/N: So some tension is building between our beloved Jasper and Gwendolyn...Tell me what you think! Review! **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Who else is shocked that I got the next chapter done so soon? I know I am! So after the spice that was in the last chapter, this has a lot of sisterly bonding. Aww!**

I threw on my robe before heading into the kitchen. When I entered, Melody looked up from her cup of tea, her eyes full of uncertainty.

"Melody," I began, my voice soft. "Why the hell did you rush into my room?" Every word I said was full of venom.

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed. Her eyes dropped to the cup in front of her. "I had no idea that you and Jasper were…were…"

"Well, we were!" I shouted, my composure lost. "Have I ever done that to you and Seth?"

"No, you haven't. I'm sorry," she said pitifully.

I sighed and pulled up a stool to sit next to her. "Well, hopefully you haven't scared Jazz away."

"I highly doubt that. I mean, what can scare a vampire?" Mel asked, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

I rolled my eyes. "Very funny," I said.

"I thought so!" she laughed.

I joined her, this light mood breaking the tense one.

"Anyway, what did you need to tell me?" I asked her, grabbing an apple from the countertop.

"Oh, yeah. So Seth told me that there's this big family emergency and he has to leave tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's terrible," I said.

"Well, that means that the engagement party has to be put on hold, you know," Mel said.

"Wait, what? Why?" I asked, my happy mood gone.

"Because Seth and his sister, _Leah_, both have to leave, along with their cousin, _Emily_," Mel stressed the names. "And Sam is going with them, since he will soon be a part of Emily's family."

"Oh my god," I whispered. "That means our plans will have to be put on hold."

"Pretty much," Melody sighed, and sipped her tea. "Oh, and the news keeps coming."

"What more?" I asked.

"Sam has put Jacob in charge of the pack during his absence."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh…my…god!"

"I know, right?" Mel smiled. "You have to congratulate Jake."

"But it's only temporarily," I reminded her.

"But still," she said, "it's a chance for him to prove himself."

I nodded my head, biting into the apple. "Oh, god!" I said in disgust as I ran to the sick and spit out the apple.

"What's wrong?" Melody asked, coming to stand beside me.

"Look." I thrust the bitten apple into her palm.

The apple was clearly rotten.

"How the hell did I pick out a nasty apple at the store?" Mel asked.

"I have no freaking idea, but that's not a good sign," I said as I rinsed my mouth out with water from the tap.

"What does it mean?" she asked, examining the tainted fruit.

I shook my head, resting it in my hands. "I don't know. I wish Isadora were here." It was the first time I had really admitted that I missed her. I needed her guidance, her experience.

"We all do, Gwendolyn," Melody whispered, and she hugged me. "Believe me, we all do."

***

That night my dreams were filled with Jasper, Jasper, and more Jasper. His voice, his scent, his _touch_… All of it was so real.

And it drove me insane.

When I woke up that morning, I knew I needed to get out, and, though I hated to say it, spend the day away from Jasper. After what had almost happened last night coupled with my dreams, I was afraid I was going to jump the poor guy.

And when I walked into the kitchen to see Mel's somber look (she had gotten up extra early to sneak out and say good bye to Seth), I knew of only one thing that could help us, and maybe some else, too…

I sent a text to Alice.

_Can we go shopping today? Mel and I need the distraction._

Almost immediately I got a text back.

_YES!!!!_

Laughing at how much excitement could be put into a text, I informed Melody of our plans. Her face immediately brightened, and we both got ready and Tasha looked up at me with big eyes as we were walking out the door.

"Tasha, you'll be stuck in my purse _all day_, baby," I said. "You can't come."

"She could always stay with Esme," Melody suggested.

At the sound of her name, Tasha's ears perked up.

"Y'know, I'm getting the feeling that you love her more than me," I told her as I put her in my purse.

She flicked her tail in response.

We loaded into my Mustang and drove back to the mansion. When we pulled in front of the house, Alice was already waiting, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"C'mon, c'mon!" she said as she pulled us out of my car. "We're taking Rose's convertible!"

"Rose's?" I asked.

"Convertible?" Mel asked.

"Yeah! Come on! It's in the garage!" She started to pull us towards the back of the house.

"Wait, I need to hand Tasha over-" I started, but Alice interrupted me.

"Esme!" she called.

Out of nowhere, Alice's adoptive mother was suddenly beside us. "Let me take her. I found some wild catnip near the house that I think she'll like."

I opened my purse and let Esme carefully scoop a purring Tasha out. "I think she'll like that a lot." I smiled appreciatively at her. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. I simply adore her." Esme walked back to the house stroking her.

"Okay, now come on! Rosalie is waiting!"

Alice led us to their garage, which was built off the back of their house. It was _enormous_, and for good reasons, too. I couldn't believe how many vehicles they owned.

Rose lifted her head when we entered. "Port Angeles?" she asked Alice.

"Yep! It's going to be cloudy today. No problems," Alice informed her.

"Okay." She turned to Melody and I. "I hope that maybe we can…bond, a bit," she said, and I saw how much it took for her to admit that.

My love for her grew. "Thanks, Rose."

She gave a half smile and sat in the driver's seat. Alice sat next to her while Mel and I got the back.

"Whoo! Shopping!" Alice said excitedly as we were on the road.

Melody laughed. "This was a great idea."

"Yes, it was." Rosalie, who had been silent, turned her golden gaze on me. "What brought it on?"

"Well, Mel was down about Seth leaving…"

"Why did he leave?" Alice looked at Mel, concerned.

"Family emergency. The engagement party has been postponed, too. It was this Saturday."

"Oh, that's too bad. I know Bella was looking forward to that."

"Bella?" Then I remembered how close she was to Jacob, and felt stupid for not realizing that of course an invitation would be extended to her.

"Hey, why didn't Bella come with us?" I asked, realizing what was missing.

"She was still sleeping, and Edward refused to let me disturb her." Alice pouted.

"You know how she hates shopping," Rose said. "She would have been miserable."

"She would have gotten over it!" Alice snapped, and crossed her arms.

Melody and I showed the same amused look. But when I turned away from her, and watched the trees rushing by, I realized that something was wrong.

_Why was Bella still sleeping this much?_

Okay, so it was only ten in the morning. I've slept in until 12:30 when I've been perfectly healthy, so it wasn't that bad. But it still made me worry…

"What's on your mind, Gwen?" Alice asked.

"Jasper, probably," Mel said with a smirk.

I gave her a warning glance. _Not in front of Alice._

The tension was thick in the car. No one dared to say anything else. Luckily it was only another ten minutes before we arrived at Port Angeles, thanks to Rose for going over the speed limit.

"So I'm thinking," Alice said as we got out of the car, "that we start with dresses, then make our way to shoes and then to make-up!"

"Sounds like a plan," I said.

Melody and Rosalie voiced their agreement.

We walked along the sidewalk, me following the girls since I had no idea where anything was. Well, I just knew where that one Italian restaurant was and the club…

"Here!" Alice said and she shoved me into the shop. "I bet we can find a really cute dress for you!"

So for the next hour, we browsed through miscellaneous dresses, skirts, and blouses with Alice voicing her opinion on everything we touched.

"Get a darker color in that!"

"No, that's not fitted well enough for your waist!"

"The bow on the back is adorable!"

And finally, the dreaded comment: "Gwen! This is _perfect_ for you!"

I was very picky about what I wear, and I prayed to god that whatever Alice had picked out I would like.

"C'mon!" she said, throwing the dress at me and shoving me into the dressing room. "Try it!"

I went into one of the stalls and stripped out of my jeans and blue blouse and put on the dress. I was shocked when I looked in the mirror.

The dress had a halter neck, which was exactly my style. It's neck was low enough to show off my throat, but high enough for modesty. I mentally rolled my eyes at that. _I think Jasper's seen more than enough for that to not be an issue…_

The dress hugged my waist and continued down to my knees, where it hung straight down. No ruffles, nothing. There was nothing showy about this dress- it was just simple. It was just _me_.

I walked out of the dressing room to see Alice standing outside my door.

"Well?" she prompted. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," I admitted, and she threw her arms around me in a hug.

"I told you you'd love it! Doesn't it just show off your skin tone? Now because the dress is so plain, we can spice up your look with the right amount of jewelry, and I can pin your hair up…"

"Alice," I said. "Be honest with me. How do you feel about Jasper and I?"

She stopped her fashion rambling and her features became serious. "Gwendolyn, what I told you before still holds true. I am, in no way, upset at either you or Jasper for falling in love. You are mates, and nothing can separate you. And as for me, I've actually seen glimpses of him." She smiled proudly.

"Oh, Alice! I'm so happy!" I hugged her.

"Well, I'm not getting a clear picture, but I know he's out there, and somewhere in the near future I'll meet him."

"Yay!" I said, not knowing what else to say.

She laughed. "Yay for me! But anyway, let's buy that dress and get some shoes to match it!"

As I was taking the dress off I glimpsed the price tag. My face went white.

"Alice," I said because I knew she was still near the dressing room. "I don't think I can afford this."

"No problem!" she said as I walked out of the dressing room. "I can buy it for you!"

"But, Alice-"

"No! I will buy it for you. We're going to be sisters- well, I guess we _are_ already sisters- and I want to do this. And did you forget that money really doesn't mean a lot to us? I mean, we've been saving _forever_, and I can see the fluctuations of the stock market…"

"Okay! Okay!" I said, convinced that it was no problem. "But I'm buying my own shoes!"

"We'll see about that." She gave me a secretive grin, and took the dress over to where another stack of clothes was at the cash register, no doubt a combination of hers, Rose's, and Melody's findings.

A question came to me while trying on my sixth pair of high heels. "Alice, is there some reason that you are forcing me to buy dressy things?"

"Now why would you ask that?" she asked absentmindedly as she watched me walk in the heels. "Those are no good. You're ankles are shaking. Try the next pair."

"It's just that you seem to be making all of the necessary preparations for me to be all dolled up, if you will, for some mystery event," I said as I slipped my feet in a pair of Stiletto heels. I looked at them doubtfully. "Alice, I don't think I can walk in these."

She sighed exasperatedly and sat on the beck next to me.

"Ali, you're going about this all wrong." I was shocked at who stepped in to be the voice of reason. "Gwendolyn may not be totally adverse to high heels like Bella, but she doesn't have our fantastic balance." The last part was said with a smirk. "Now here, Gwen; try this pair on."

I quickly and gratefully slipped them on and smiled. "I think," I said as I got up and walked around, "that these are perfect."

"Those are good," Alice agreed.

"Nice shoes," Melody said, coming over with her shopping bags.

As I placed them back in the box to be purchased, I said, "Thank you, Rose."

"Sure," she replied, and she gave me a timid smile.

_Thank the lord she doesn't hate me!_

"Do the humans need to eat?" Rose asked as we walked out of the store.

I looked at Mel. "Do you?"

"I could use a little something," she said.

We headed into a nearby café where Melody and I both ordered salads and diet sodas. Alice and Rose ordered water, which neither of them touched.

"So we need to get you some make-up to go with your outfit, maybe something smoky," Alice rambled on as I ate. "And some jewelry. I'm thinking sparkly or gold…"

We just let her go on like this until we paid the bill. Then I was whisked away to another store, and Alice chose some make-up for me, and for Melody, too- she hadn't been neglecting my cousin on this trip. But as we were looking at the jewelry, Alice didn't make any move to purchase anything. She simply examined a few pieces and nodded her head thoughtfully.

Our shopping day came to a close, and we loaded back into the car and to the house. We were a lot more talkative than we were before, and I could see that Rosalie was less tense. Maybe we would become friends…

"So," Alice said to Mel. "Did this put your big, strong werewolf out of your mind?"

Melody laughed. "For a while."

"I can't wait until they come back. I _cannot_ deal with this one being lovesick," I said teasingly.

"And what about you? Jasper got you so hot and bothered last night-"

I punched her arm. "Shut up!" I said, blushing.

"So Jazz put the moves on you?" Rose said, her eyes light with laughter. "How far did it get?"

"Not too far, since Melody here interrupted us."

Rose and Alice gasped. "No!"

"It was an accident!" Mel said.

"No, let me tell you what was an accident…" Alice started, and the rest of the trip was spent swapping stories about slightly awkward situations.

I think all of us created a sisterly bond between each other.

**A/N: Reviews are always welcome! And they encourage me to write more quickly! But I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, because of my studies...So please be patient! :)**

**Oh! And this is a little delayed- I meant to put this in my A/N at the end of last chap, but forgot: The character of Antonio is inspired by one of my guy friends. I wonder how he would react with my portrayal of him...;)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: SCHOOL IS OUT, AND I AM BACK! YES! So I just had my last exam today, and I was able to get this chapter written. It's not as long as my chapters usually are, but you guys have been waiting long enough. I'm hoping to be able to get two chapters done a week, so fingers crossed!**

**Reviews are always appreciated. It lets me know you're still interested.**

When we got back to the house, we were all in a really good mood, even Rosalie. We all hopped out of Rose's car and headed inside to the kitchen. Mel and I lagged behind while Alice and Rose rushed upstairs to hang up their clothes. Upon entering the kitchen, a bowl of fresh fruit caught our attention.

"Thank you, Esme!" we both said in unison.

"You're welcome, girls!" she called back, and we figured she was outside in her garden.

Mel and I were snacking on the fruit when Alice and Rose joined us.

"Who wants to watch a movie?" Alice asked excitedly.

_And so this bonding day was going to continue into the night._

"Could you expect anything less from Ali?" Edward asked as he walked into the kitchen, Bella by his side.

I smiled, and greeted Bella. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Tired, but good," she replied. "But I'm not exhausted like I was before."

"Great!" I said. I looked over and saw the look on Alice's face. "Wanna join us for a movie, since you missed going out with us?"

"Sure!" she said, and her eyes were bright with excitement. "I'd love to."

"Yay!" Alice was practically bouncing up and down.

"Well, I'll leave you girls alone," Edward said, smiling a crooked smile. "Have fun, love." He kissed Bella's cheek, and walked out of the room.

"And as one guy leaves, another enters," Alice said, and a familiar chuckle accompanied her statement.

"I can't sneak past you, can I?" Jasper asked as he walked in from outside. He had apparently been helping Esme in the garden; his jeans were covered in dirt, and there were a few weeds in his blonde hair.

I started giggling at his appearance, and Rose walked over to him. "Brother, what have you been doing? Rolling down hills?" she teased as she picked out the vegetation from his hair.

"Well, at least I'm not destroying the natural habitat around here like _some people_," he said, and Rose's eyes widened in shock.

"Jasper Whitlock-" Rose broke off as Jasper hugged her affectionately.

"I was only kidding! Don't be mad." He pulled away from her and I could feel the difference in the emotional climate.

"That's not fair!" she argued, then gently punched him in the arm. "Now I'm not mad anymore."

He smiled at her, then turned his attention to me. "Hey, darlin'. Did you have a good time?"

"Yep. Alice and Rose helped me pick out some things…" I said, not wanting to give the surprise away.

"Won't you share?" He strode over to me with the most adorable pout on his face.

"Nope." I crossed my arms. "Never."

Jasper was now standing in front of me, and he cupped my face in his hands. "Please?"

His touch…The sound of his voice…The scent of his breath…

"Jasper! Stop dazzling the girl! I made her promise not to tell you!" Alice said.

Jasper chuckled, and took a step back from me, dropping his hands from my face. "I'm sorry, Gwendolyn. I couldn't help it." He was smiling mischievously.

"Thanks, Jazz. I think I almost passed out," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Sorry, darlin'," he replied, and kissed my hair.

Alice probably saw what this was going to escalate to, so she said, "OK- whoever _isn't_ a girl has to leave _now_."

Jasper sighed against my hair, and whispered, "I'll see you later."

"See you," I replied as he walked out of the room, a little smirk on his face.

"Damn," Melody said as she walked over to me. "Jasper is…"

"Oh, yeah," I replied, and my emotions were bouncing off the ceiling. "You have no idea."

"C'mon, guys!" Alice said. "Let's make some popcorn, and we'll head into the entertainment room!"

"We have a plasma screen TV. It's no big deal," Rose added with a smirk, and I realized how perfect she and Emmett were for each other.

So after Alice burnt two bags of popcorn, Melody took over the food duties, and Rose, Bella and I were discussing what movie to watch. After some debate, we decided on _John Tucker Must Die_, which Bella had not yet seen. It's a good chick flick, if I do say so myself.

After settling down on one of the comfy sofas in front of the enormous TV, the next two hours were filled with nothing but laughter. The five of us were having such a good time that even after the movie was over, we took our little party upstairs to Rosalie's room, which I was shocked to see, because it was every bit as girly as Alice's.

"Rose, doesn't Em get a say in your décor?" I asked, walking over to a shelf unit that had glass dolls in it.

"Not in this room; this one is my space. His space is down the hall, near Jasper's room," she said.

I nodded, and saw the giant four-poster bed in the middle of the room. "Good god."

Rose hopped onto it gracefully, and Alice joined her. "There's plenty of room," they pointed out.

"Come on, Gwen!" Mel took my hand we climbed onto the bed, quite ungracefully compared to the two vampires.

"Am I the only one who's afraid of what's on these sheets?" Bella asked, looking at the soft blue comforter doubtfully.

"Don't be ridiculous! These were washed yesterday!" Rosalie said.

"And weren't you and Em in here this morning?" Alice asked.

Melody, Bella and I put on our best grossed-out expressions, but we couldn't keep a straight face and burst out laughing.

"Shut up!" Rose said to Alice, and lightly hit her with a heart-shaped pillow. "Or I'll knock you off the bed!"

"Alice could se that as a blessing," Mel mumbled, and we were now doubled over with laughter. Soon Alice and Rosalie joined in, and after a few minutes, we were able to compose ourselves.

"So, what are some of the cool things that witches can do?" Rose asked.

"A lot of stuff," Mel said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I mean, there's various sorts of levitation, conjuring, force fields, vanishing spells…"

"Vanishing spells?" Bella asked. "You guys can turn things invisible?"

I shared a look with Melody. "Yep. Wanna see?"

"Sure!" The three girls looked excited.

I looked at the wall that was behind me, and I sent a wave of power towards it. Sure enough, the wall vanished, and on the other side was a shocked Emmett.

"What the hell?" Rosalie asked.

"Oh, um, hi, girls," Em stuttered, and his voice was slightly muffled by the wall; it may have been invisible, but it was still technically there.

"Emmett, why the hell are you hiding behind the wall?" Alice asked angrily.

"Because I was too big for the tree!" he answered.

"What tree?" Mel asked, and Rose jumped off the bed and pulled open the curtain on the window. Sure enough, there were Jasper and Edward, casually lounging in the tree outside of Rose's room.

"What the hell?" Melody asked. It seems like "What the hell?" was the only question appropriate for this interesting discovery.

"We got bored without our girls around," Jasper answered, laying his southern accent on pretty thick. He smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes. _Oh, god._

"May we please come in, ladies?" Edward asked, crouching outside the window.

"Let's let them in," Bella sighed. When we looked at her, amazed that she had given in to him so quickly, she blushed and stammered, "Well, if they fall, they'll smash Esme's flower garden, and who wants to see her wrath?"

We all suppressed a shiver at the thought, and we quickly opened the window to let the two guys in. They entered the room gracefully.

"Pretty handy work there, Gwen," Jasper said, nodding towards the still invisible wall.

"Yep. Not that hard to accomplish," I said nonchalantly.

"Oh, really?" There was a challenge in his eyes.

I smirked at him. "Don't doubt my strength."

"I would listen to her, man," Emmett advised, still on the other side of the wall. "It's like betting against Alice- no good can come of it."

I laughed, and Jasper wrapped his arm around my waist. "It's getting pretty late. Shouldn't you and Mel head home?"

I looked at my watch; he was right. "Yeah, Mel, we should probably leave."

"Okay," she said, and grabbed her purse from the floor. "Thanks for dealing with us for a day," she said to Bella, who was glued to Edward's side, and Rose and Alice.

"I had so much fun!" Alice squeaked. "We should do it again sometime!"

"Absolutely," I said. "I had a great time."

Jasper walked with Mel and me downstairs, where we were greeted by Esme.

"I think Tasha had long day today," she crooned over the black ball of fur that was cradled in her arms.

"Thank you so much for looking after her," I said, and Esme carefully deposited the sleeping cat into my arms.

"It's such a joy to be around animals," she sighed. "At least, the ones we don't hunt." A little spark was in her eyes when she said this, and Jasper chuckled.

I smiled, remembering how lethal Esme could be. "Good night."

"Good night, girls. Have a safe trip home."

"We will!" Melody said.

Mel walked out the front door, but I hung around in the doorway, not wanting to leave Jasper.

"Darlin', are you wanting to stay?" he asked, a knowing look in his golden eyes.

"Perhaps," I said coolly, not wanting to show my desperation.

He lightly kissed my lips, making sure not to disturb Tasha. "I could come over tonight, although I wouldn't want to disturb your sleep," he sighed against my lips.

My mind was reeling; I almost dropped Tasha. "Screw sleep," I said. "Come over and we can…talk." I smirked at him, and he kissed me once more.

"You'll be the death of me, I just know it," he said.

_I'm pretty sure it will be the other way around,_ I thought as I walked out the door to a very impatient Melody. _Almost positive._

**A/N: I wanted to bring in a little sibling interaction with Jazz and Rose. I think it turned out pretty well.**

** Reviews are like Jasper coming over to "talk" in the middle of the night! Haha! ;D Review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: So I know I've been terrible with updating, and I'm really sorry. Last minute vacation plans were thrown at me and I had to deal with them. But now it looks like the rest of my summer is free, so that means I have more time to write! Yes! **

**Enjoy!**

When we got back to the apartment, I immediately started getting ready for bed, refreshing myself for Jasper's late-night visit. Instead of my long, blue nightgown, I put on a shorter nightie, a dark purple that looked like the midnight sky. Like all dark colors, it went wonderfully against my skin; Jasper would go wild. Melody had already passed out in her bedroom, and there was no chance of Jazz and I getting caught again.

I was lazily flipping through a magazine when a quiet knock came from my window. I threw the magazine across the room and hurried over to my window. Jasper was precariously perched on the narrow windowsill, his hair disheveled from his run here.

"Hey, Gwendolyn," he said as I opened the window for him, his eyes raking over my body. I took a step back and he quickly stepped into my room and caught me in a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his hands pulled me against him. Jasper's emotional floodgate was quickly coming open, and his love and lust were magnifying my own. We somehow made it across the room and fell onto my bed; Jasper was careful not to crush me. His lips left mine and traveled down my neck, and my hands fumbled with the buttons on his shirt.

"Goddamn, Jazz," I growled when my fingers slipped.

"Eager, are we?" he chuckled against my collarbone, and he lightly nipped at the soft flesh there.

"Jasper!" I gasped. We both knew we were playing with fire, that at any moment Jasper could let his guard down and kill me, but neither one of us mentioned it. We were enjoying this moment of passion as much as we could.

He slid the straps of my nightie off, revealing the soft skin of my shoulders. He placed open-mouthed kisses from one to the other, and I finally was able to push his shirt off of his body. My hands caressed his chest, but faltered a bit when the skin I felt was bumpy, not smooth. Jasper's actions stopped, and he sighed deeply. "Gwen, remember when I told you about my time in the vampire wars?"

I nodded, remembering one of the first times I was with him. "Yes."

"And remember when I showed you the scars on my arm, and how I said my body was covered with them?"

Realization dawned on me. Jasper rolled off of me, and turned on the small lamp I had on the nightstand, so that I could see. When the light hit his scars, I gasped. His upper arms and chest were covered with the crisscrossing pattern of the hundreds of vampire bites he had received a century ago. The sight tore at my heart.

"Oh, Jasper." I hesitantly reached out and started tracing the marks, my fingers following the bumps of his scars.

Jasper hadn't said anything for a few minutes, and he had his head turned away from me, his eyes closed. He was ashamed.

"Don't do this," I whispered, almost sitting in his lap, trying to get closer to him. "I love you. All of you. Even these." I traced the scars he had on his neck, and then I kissed them. I tried to open up my emotions to him, trying to get my point across to him. I finally kissed the scar he had over his eyebrow, and I felt the difference in the emotional climate; it was subtle, but it was there.

"Gwendolyn," Jasper sighed, and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered, and we stayed like that for a while, enjoying the comfort that the other brought, and I eventually fell asleep, Jasper holding me.

_Two weeks later…_

"Gwen, wake up! Now!" Someone pounded on my door.

I buried my face against Jasper, feeling his silent laughter. "I better go. This seems pretty urgent," he whispered.

I groaned, my cousin still yelling at me. "Give me a minute, Mel!" I yelled.

"Bye, darlin'." Jazz kissed my forehead and quickly disappeared out the window.

I threw my robe on, dislodging a sleeping Tasha from her bed. "Sorry, girl," I mumbled.

She glared at me, and when I opened the door, she ran out past me and Melody, who was almost hyperventilating.

"God, Mel, where's the fire?" I asked.

She was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Seth's back!" she squealed.

My mouth dropped. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not!" she replied back, almost defensively. "He just called me! He and Sam and Emily and Leah are back! That means the engagement party is going to be rescheduled soon!"

I had almost forgotten about our master plan. "That's great!"

"I know, right?" Mel asked. "Now I have to get ready. Seth is taking me to lunch before he has to meet with the pack."

"Okay. I think I'll head over-"

Melody cut me off. "To the Cullens'?"

I blushed. "Yes. Where else would I go?"

"Good point," Mel said as she walked away to get dressed.

I waited until Mel had left to take my shower. As the warm water relaxed my body, I thought about what would happen now. Sam and Emily would have their party and Mel and I would be able to sneak the potion to Jake and Leah, thus causing the two of them to realize their love for each other. And then I wouldn't always have the nagging guilt of rejecting Jacob constantly eating away at me. I felt sorry for Jasper that he had to feel that from me, but for the most part I was able to hide it from him. I wished I could see Jake again; even though I didn't love him, I still wanted to be friends.

Contemplating these things made my head hurt, and I laid on my bed, hoping that my headache would go away in a few minutes. I realized I was laying on Jasper's pillow, so I rolled over so that I was laying on my stomach, and inhaled deeply. His scent cleared my head, and I sighed contentedly. I felt Tasha jump up on my bed and walk over to me.

"Hey, girl," I said, my voice muffled by the pillow. I turned my head to look at her.

She sniffed the pillow I was laying on and rubbed her head against it.

"You like his scent?" I asked as I petted her. She gave a loud purr.

I smiled. "So do I."

She curled up next to me, still purring, and I closed my eyes. Without meaning to, I fell asleep, and started to dream.

I was in a forest, lying on the ground. I tried to open my eyes, but darkness surrounded me. The branches of the trees around me were creaking with the vicious wind that was blowing. I tried to stand up, crawl, move in any way, but I couldn't; it was like my body had turned to lead. Suddenly I was flipped over onto my side; I hadn't realized I was face down on the ground. My hair was pushed back from my face, but I was still blind to what was happening around me. And then my body was on fire. The pain and heat swept through my entire being, and I found that I could scream. My screaming filled the silence around me, and then I was suddenly being shaken.

"For the love of god, wake up, Gwen!"

My eyes shot open. I wasn't in the forest, I was in my bed. More specifically, I was in Jasper's arms, his golden eyes full of deep concern.

I couldn't speak. I could still feel the dull throbbing of the fire in my limbs, even though it was all in my mind. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, burying my head in the crook of his neck.

"It's okay, Gwen, I'm here," he said softly, and he held me against him. "It was just a dream. It's okay."

Tears were flowing down my face, but I wasn't sobbing. I was still in shock from the intensity of the dream. All I could do was hold on to Jasper, hoping that I wouldn't somehow slip back into that fiery inferno.

Jazz lifted my face up, his eyes scanning me, making sure I was fine. "Are you okay, angel?" he asked softly as he carefully wiped the tears from my face.

I nodded. "It was a dream," I said, not sure if I was just repeating what Jazz had said a moment before.

"Just a dream," he said as he kissed my forehead.

"Wait, Jasper, how did you know-?"

"I could feel your emotions from the house. I've never felt anyone project that far before, or have their emotions be that intense." He kissed me again, and I could feel myself relaxing. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "I just want to forget it."

Jasper nodded. "Okay. Do you think you could let Tasha back on the bed? She's really concerned about you."

My brow furrowed at his words, and I looked down at the floor. Tasha was sitting there, her green eyes locked on me. Then I noticed that the air in front of her was slightly wavy…

"I can't believe I did it again," I sighed as I let my shield down, letting Tasha jump up to where Jasper and I were sitting.

"You've done that before?" he asked.

"Yeah. I have no control over it when I'm sleeping." I stroked Tasha's back as she sniffed every inch of me, making sure I was unharmed. "Jazz, if my shield was up, how did you get in?" I asked, astonished.

"I don't know. I just ran in here and I guess I went through it." Jasper ran a hand through his hair. "I wouldn't even have noticed it if Tasha hadn't been trying to get to you."

"That's…really strange," I said. "No one is supposed to get in through a shield. That's why it's a _shield_."

Jasper smiled. "Maybe I'm just special."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you are." It did make sense; he was my mate, and so he was the only one who could get through. I smiled at the thought.

"Want to come and visit the girls?" Jazz asked. "Ali has been wanting to curl your hair."

I groaned and slumped back against the pillows. "I don't want to have my hair curled!"

Jasper laughed and laid next to me. "I don't know…It might be nice. But I do like your hair this way," he said, playing with a few strands. "It's just so…you."

I smiled. "I'm glad you like it, since it's the only style I'll ever be wearing it in."

"She's going to hold you down and do it. Did it to Bella once," he informed me.

I gasped. "Did she really?"

Jasper's eyes were sparkling. "Yep. Edward was so mad at her that he took a pair of her heels and threatened to throw them in the river if she did that again."

I was laughing really hard. "What is wrong with your family, Jazz?" I asked.

"No idea at all," he replied, chuckling.

My phone rang, and I reached over and picked it up from my nightstand, discovering a text.

"Who is it?" Jazz asked.

"Alice," I handed the phone to him. "She says she'll come over here if I don't get my ass over to the house."

"Well, it seems like you have no choice," Jazz said.

"Yeah," I sighed, and got up from the bed. "Let me get my car keys and we'll be off."

"You don't need your car," Jasper said.

"Why?" I asked, then it dawned on me right before he said it.

"We can run."

"No."

"It's not that bad."

"_No_."

Jasper's eyes narrowed, and then I was suddenly being lifted into the air and onto his back.

"Put me down!" I demanded.

"Just relax and close your eyes," he said, laughter softening his order.

"What about Tasha?" I asked, desperate to stall.

He sighed and turned around to face the bed. "I don't think Tasha wants to come with us."

He was right. She was curled up in the middle of the bed.

"Fine. Be that way, cat! I can't believe you don't want to go see Esme!"

She flicked her tail at me and then curled it around her body. She was dismissing me!

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me," Jasper said. "Hang on tight, and don't look."

I tightened my hold on him as he opened the window, and then he was flying through the air. I almost didn't feel when we hit the ground because he immediately started to run, and that felt like flying all over again. In just a few minutes we were at the Cullen house.

"Okay, Gwendolyn, we're here," he said as he slowed down to a walk. "You can get down."

I slowly lifted my head up and opened my eyes. I loosened my grip and fell to the ground, but Jasper caught me before I could fall on my ass.

"Thanks," I said as I straightened up, blushing slightly.

"No problem," he said, a huge grin on his face.

We walked to the front door and Jasper let me in.

"Is that Gwendolyn?" a familiar voice asked from somewhere in the upstairs of the house.

"No, Alice," Jasper answered before mouthing "_Run_" to me.

I quickly made my way to the living room, hoping that Alice wouldn't catch me. I did not want to be her Barbie doll today.

When I walked into the living room, I stopped dead in my tracks. Bella was sitting on one sofa, talking and laughing with the person who was sitting across from her.

"Hi, Gwen," Bella said as I walked in.

"Hey, Bella," I replied.

The other person got up from the sofa and walked over to me. "Hey, Gwendolyn. It's been a while."

I nodded. "It has been a while, Jake."

**A/N: Review please! It's the only way I know that you guys are enjoying the story!**

**And who is totally psyched for the premiere of Eclipse? I know I am! Gotta love Jasper! :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So I just saw Eclipse! It's the best one of the Saga! And I was pleased with how much Jasper there was in it! I almost died when he started talking with his accent! Anyway, seeing Jacob and Bella in the movie motivated me to get this chapter out. So please enjoy!**

Jacob and I surveyed each other, each of us guarded. I could see the pain in his dark eyes, and my heart cried. I never meant to hurt him, although I wasn't sure if there had been a way around it.

"I was just telling Jake about the potion you made me," Bella said, breaking the silence in the room.

"Oh, yes, the anti-aging potion," I said, trying to get rid of the sudden tension between Jacob and I.

"You witches are very clever," Jake commented, his posture relaxing slightly. "It must come from centuries of knowledge."

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you, wolf boy?" I asked with a smile. I mean, the tribe had been around for a long time with their knowledge of vampires.

Jake actually smiled back at me. "Yep."

Bella seemed to relax as Jake and I sat down together on the couch. "Gwen, where is Tasha?" she asked, looking around.

"Tasha decided not to come. I think she knew Jake would be here, and she does despise the odor of dogs," I added, smirking at him.

Jacob laughed. "She has a sixth sense, but still hates dogs? Really?"

"You can't change everything about an animal, no matter how…" I searched for the right word to describe Tasha.

"Mystical?" Bella offered.

"Sure. No matter how mystical she is."

Jake shook his head, amused.

Then there was a knock at the door. We turned around and Edward was standing in the doorway, trying not to pay attention to Jacob. "Bella, could I have a moment, love?"

"Okay." Bella got up. "I'll be back shortly." She smiled at us as she left with Edward, who gave us a knowing glance.

"So how have you been, Jake?" I asked.

"Okay, I guess. Had a lot to do being Alpha, but I'm glad Sam's back, even though it was my birthright."

I looked at him, confused. "Birthright?"

He gave me a half-smile. "I'm supposed to be the pack leader. My ancestor was, and so I'm supposed to be. But I'm not the leader type," he added. "Sam does a good job."

"Yeah," I said, looking down at my hands which were folded in my lap. I sighed. "Jacob, I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything, but his body became stiffer. I chanced a look at him, and his eyes were full of bitterness and anguish. "I don't know what you want me to say, Gwendolyn."

"I don't care what you say!" I told him, getting up from the couch. "I just want you to talk with me! Tell me you hate me, tell me you forgive me, or that you understand-"

"Understand?" he asked angrily, getting up to face me. It was then that I realized just how tall he was; he towered over me. "How can I understand you choosing a bloodsucker?"

"Jasper is bravest man I've ever met, Jacob," I said, my voice full of venom. "Don't insult him."

We glared at each for several minutes, both of us trying to calm down. I was trying not to hex Jake, and he was trying not to phase. Finally I spoke. "Jake, I know the pain you're going through, I understand it, but please don't shut people out. It's only hurting you and every else." _Including Leah_, I added silently.

He sighed and walked away from me, facing the wall. "I just don't understand," he admitted quietly.

"I know, Jake. I know." I walked over to him and put my arms around him. "It will get better…I promise."

"How do you know?" he asked.

I hesitated before answering. How the hell did I know? _I was looking in my crystal ball and saw that you and Leah were crazy about each other. _Not gonna happen.

"I'm a witch, remember?" I asked, ruffling his hair a little. "I have my ways."

He turned to look at me, and I could see that he believed me, if only for that moment.

I grabbed his hand and led him back to the couch. I marveled at how warm his body was, at how his muscles moved under his shirt with every slight movement. Damn.

"Gwendolyn," Jacob began, breaking my daydreaming, "The anti-aging potion? Will it really work?"

I nodded. "Hopefully."

"Thank you," he said, not meeting my gaze. "It means a lot to me."

I nodded, and rested my head on his shoulder. Hesitantly, he moved his arm and put it around me. I let Jake have this one moment of peace from his worries. I didn't feel like he was crossing any boundaries- Emmett had done this to me before while we were hanging out. I leaned into Jake and closed my eyes. His scent- that woodsy smell- was wonderful, and I wondered why vampires didn't like it; I couldn't smell _that_ bad to them.

"Gwen, I should go," Jacob sighed, and started to get up.

I wasn't ready to let him go. I didn't want this moment to end. I softly groaned with frustration at having to move, and threw him a smirk, trying to hide my disappointment.

He smiled back at me. "I'll see you, Gwendolyn."

"You will text me, right?" I asked, not wanting to be in the dark when it came to his life.

He nodded. "I'll try. You'll be at Sam and Emily's engagement party, right?" he asked hopefully.

"When is it?"

"This Saturday," he answered.

"Wouldn't miss it." I smiled. "Bye, Jake."

He turned to leave, then paused. He turned back to me, and he quickly, yet softly, kissed me on the cheek. "Bye, Gwendolyn," he breathed, and then walked out of the room. Several seconds later I heard the front door close.

I touched my cheek and could still feel the warmth his lips left. I went over to the couch and laid down. This wasn't good at all.

"So the mutt left?" a voice said.

I sat up with a start. "Didn't mean to scare you, sis," Emmett laughed from the doorway.

"'Sis'?" I asked.

"Well, since you and Jazz are a pair now, you are technically my sister," he explained, a big grin on his face.

"Great," I said and smiled. "So why have you come to disturb my thought processes?"

"That's what I did? I thought you the dog had bored you so much you fell asleep."

I hit his arm. "That's not nice, Em."

"I know." He smirked. "Anyway, Jasper wants you." The look on his face meant that he knew I had picked up on the double meaning.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, where is he?"

"Foyer," Emmett replied.

"Thank you," I said before walking out of the room.

"So what were you and Black talking about?" he asked as he followed me.

"None of your business," I replied smoothly.

"Oh, so you were talking about _that_ kind of stuff," he said. "The secret stuff."

I laughed. "Yep."

Emmett was about to ask something else, but we had just come to the front hall and Jasper was waiting patiently.

I ran up to him and threw my arms around him. He lifted me effortlessly. "Hey, darlin'."

"Hey, Jasper." I kissed him chastely before he sat me back down. "So what's up?"

"I was thinking that maybe you would like to have dinner with me tonight," he said, holding my hands.

"Jasper Hale, are you asking me out on a date?" I asked, blushing.

"Perhaps," he said, smiling. "But we won't be alone; Edward and Bella will be with us."

"So a double date," I said. I remembered the double date that Mel dragged me on with Jacob.

"It will be fun. Just some dinner and dancing," he stated.

"Oh, dancing? I might like that," I said flirtatiously.

Jasper quickly spun me around, leaving me breathless. "I think you will," he said from behind me. I tilted my head back and he caught my lips with his. This kiss was a little more heated than the one we shared just a minute before.

"All right, all right! You two will have plenty of time to do that tonight!" Alice's high-pitched voice said. She magically appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Right now I need Gwen to be upstairs getting ready!"

"But Alice-" I started.

"Everything you need is upstairs in my closet! Remember the shopping trip we went on the other week?"

My eyes widened as I remembered going to Port Angeles with her, Melody, and Rosalie.

"Yep, that one. Now come on! I want to try something-" As Alice pulled me away from Jasper and up the steps, I pleaded with my eyes for him to save me. He just shook his head, laughing quietly.

_Damn you, Jasper!_

After two hours of Alice, and at one point Rosalie, primping me for my date with Jasper, I was finally released to the arms of my mate.

"Oh, Gwendolyn," Jasper said in awe. "You look beautiful," he said as I was coming downstairs.

Alice and Rose had carefully pinned up my hair so that some strands were still loose, which were then curled. They had put a neutral shade of eye shadow on me, and gave me light red lips. I was in that little black dress that Ali had found for me, and I was wearing the heels that Rose had found. I don't think I had ever looked this dressed-up before.

I blushed. "Thank you. You look very nice, too."

And he did. He was wearing black pants with a white dress shirt underneath of his black jacket. He also had a simple black tie on. He looked…dashing.

"Come on, darlin'," he said and offered me his arm. "Edward and Bella are waiting."

I immediately linked arms with him and we walked out to Carlisle's black Mercedes, which was waiting for us. I gasped. "He's letting us use the Mercedes?"

"Yep. It's much classier than the Volvo," Jasper said with a smirk towards the driver's seat. Edward must be fuming.

Jasper helped me into the backseat before getting in next to me. Edward was driving, and he was dressed the same way as Jazz. Bella smiled at me, and she looked gorgeous- her hair had been straightened and was hanging down over he shoulders, and she had on a strapless blue dress. I vaguely remembered Ali saying that Edward adored Bella in blue.

When we got to the restaurant, which made _La Bella Italia _look like a Burger King, I was in shock, as was Bella; this was no small building- it was several floors high.

"Is the entire place the restaurant?" Bella asked as we walked inside and got into the elevator.

"Yep," Jasper replied. "And we're going all the way to the top." He winked at me as he pressed the button for the "Starlight Room."

"Why is it called that?" I asked.

"You'll find out," Edward said, smiling.

Once the elevator stopped ascending and the doors opened, I soon saw why it was called the Starlight Room. The ceiling was a great glass dome which showed the dark night sky. The first stars were just beginning to appear.

"Wow," I breathed as our waiter showed us to our table.

"I second that," Bella replied.

Jasper and Edward shot each other a triumphant look. I rolled my eyes at them.

"May I get you something to drink?" our waiter asked as we sat down at our table, Jasper and me facing Edward and Bella.

Edward ordered us some wine, and Bella and I tried to decide what to eat. I finally decided on a salad and a chicken breast, and Bella had a vegetable soup. The food was really good, as was the wine. I was a bit shocked when I saw Jasper and Edward take a sip of their drinks.

"Everyone can appreciate a fine wine," Edward said, and we all started laughing.

Bella only took a sip of hers and she drank water the rest of the time. She was, after all, still underage.

When the orchestra started up and couples began moving out onto the dance floor in the center of the large room, Edward took Bella's hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

"Only if you make sure I don't humiliate myself," she replied.

He kissed her hand and led her away.

"Well, it seems that we are alone," I said as I turned to Jasper.

He gave me a knowing smile.

"What's that about?" I asked.

"Well, Gwendolyn, we've been together for a little over a month and this is our real first date."

I hadn't realized that before. Damn, I had a date with Jake way before this, and that relationship never got anywhere.

Jasper leaned in and softly kissed me, and he let me feel all the love he had for me.

"Oh, Jazz," I breathed as he leaned away.

He gave me a small smile. "I, uh, got you a little something to remember this evening. I hope you don't mind…" he said as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a black box. He handed it to me, and I carefully opened it and gasped. It was a necklace, a crystal heart on a gold chain.

"The heart is symbolic," he said as he put it around my neck. "The crystal for your crystal ball, or in your case, obsidian, and the heart shows my love for you."

Tears pricked at my eyes. "I love it, Jasper. Thank you."

I smiled, obviously pleased that I loved his gift that much. "You're welcome, Gwendolyn."

"I love you so much, Jazz," I said as I hugged him.

"I love you, too, Gwen," he whispered.

Suddenly the soft music changed to something a bit more like…rock. A girl got up to microphone, ready to sing.

"May I have this dance, Miss Gwendolyn?" Jasper asked, laying on his accent.

"Of course you may, Major Whitlock," I replied.

We walked onto the dance floor as the singing began.

_Get up its a minute to midnightAnd we've got, the whole world coming after usSo we're running and running, Oh,and your eyes are the colour of wantingAnd my heart is a runawayAnd our hands seducing them to coincide_

_And there's something about youAnd there's something that you seeWe both lay, here brokenCause we both know that this can't beAnd it cuts like a gunThe poison in battleSinking straight to the bloodAnd it awakens your dreamsAnd kills all the demonsthat you thought wouldn't leaveCause this is love to die fromAnd to die forCould this be, oh dare I say itOh this could be,This could be love I've been waiting forThis could be love I've been asking for_

I looked up at Jasper, and his golden eyes met mine. This was definitely the love we had been waiting for._From the stars to the gravelThat we used to light up shadowsFrom the slits it was fingerPricking once in my fingertipsPassion for gloryImpossible in this storyAnd there's something about youAnd there's something that you seeWe both lay, here brokenCause we both know that this can't beAnd it cuts like a gunThe poison in battleSinking straight to the bloodAnd it awakens your dreamsAnd kills all the demonsthat you thought wouldn't leaveCause this is love to die fromAnd to die forSo if the world comes tumbling inI will be there with youAnd if the devil comes to townI'll be there to protect youAnd it cuts like a gunThe poison in battleSinking straight to the bloodAnd it awakens your dreamsAnd kills all the demonsthat you thought wouldn't leaveCause this is love to die fromAnd to die forI'd die for you _

As the song ended, we saw Bella and Edward dancing slowly by us. Bella looked up and smiled at me; she was just as in love with Edward as I was with Jasper.

"C'mon, darlin'," Jasper whispered in my ear. "Another dance?"

"Absolutely."

And for the rest of the evening, we danced across the floor, stars bright above us, totally lost in this little piece of heaven.

**A/N: How sweet...Like reviews! **

**Song: To Die For by Automatic Loveletter. I heard it once and knew I had to use it. I don't own it, by the way.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: New chap! Yay! Enjoy!**

I only vaguely remembered falling asleep in the Mercedes. When I awoke the next morning, I was in my bed and was curled up against Jasper.

"Jazz?" I asked groggily.

"Morning, angel," he replied. "It's almost noon."

"What?" I asked and looked at my clock. 11:40. Damn. "I need to get up."

Jasper moved so that I could sit up, but I froze when I saw my dress hanging on my closet door. I looked down at myself and saw that I had on my white, fluffy robe.

Jasper felt my confusion. "Mel was still up when we got back, and she helped you out of your dress. I had no part of it," he added quickly, reassuring me that he didn't see me undressed.

I laughed. "Okay then. Thanks." I looked at him. "Did you go home?"

"Yes. Alice called me and said that if I ruined my suit by lying in in all night she would kick my ass. So I went home and changed," he said.

"Don't want to mess with Alice," I agreed. "Well, I'm going to take a shower, so you can leave, if you need to." I noticed that his eyes were darkening a little.

"Ok. I'll see you back at the house," he said, and kissed me before leaving the room and using the front door instead of the window, for once.

I quickly showered and dressed before heading into the kitchen to grab something to eat. I was surprised to see that Melody was still here and not with Seth. She pushed a bowl of fruit towards me. "Let me see it," she demanded.

I sighed, and unclasped the necklace from around my neck. I handed it to her.

"Oh wow," she gasped. "It's so beautiful."

"I know, right?" I sighed as I sat down at the table with her and began unpeeling an orange. "I was in shock."

"And the meaning behind it is so _sweet_!" she cried.

I laughed. "Yeah, it is. Now give it back."

"But it's so pretty and shiny!" she said.

I glared at her.

"Fine." She pouted. "I'm heading over to the rez to spend some time with Seth. I would invite you, but-"

"You two will be locked in his room the entire day?" I guessed, picking up my purse from the table.

"No!" she said defensively. "I just know you want to hang out with Jasper."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Now where's my cat?" I called for Tasha, and she looked up at me lazily from the sofa.

"Come on, girl. You wanna go see Esme?" I cooed, trying to lift her butt from the sofa cushion.

She gave me a pitiful mew and jumped back down onto the sofa.

"Unbelievable," I said. "This is the second day in a row. You're not sick, are you?" I cupped her head in my hands, inspecting her.

"Didn't you say that Jake was there?" Mel asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Well, she obviously knows when one of the pack will be there…"

"Oh," I said. Then it hit me. "Oh…"

"Why would he need to be there again today?"

"I have no idea," I sighed. "I don't know if I can take seeing Jacob twice in such a short period of time."

"Hey," Melody said quietly, and walked over to me. She hugged me. "This weekend we can give them the potion and then everything will be right with the world. Trust me."

"Okay, Mel." I hugged her back, and with a quick wave goodbye, I left.

When I walked into the Cullen home, Jacob was waiting for me.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Been asking him that for the past forty-five minutes," Emmett said, walking by us.

Jake growled quietly at him. "I just came to tell you the engagement party has been postponed."

"Again?" I asked in disbelief. Why is God so against these two getting together?

"Yeah. Last night we found the scent of bloodsucker on our territory, so Sam's running extra patrols."

"Great. It's probably just a nomad, though, moving through the area."

"Well, it won't be moving any longer if we catch it," Jake replied.

"Well, this is certainly a sunny conversation to be having," I said, desperate to change the subject. "Why don't we step outside and talk?"

Jake looked like he could care less where we talked. "Alright."

We walked outside and we sat on the hood of my car. I felt compelled to look up at one of the windows on the house, and there I saw Jasper, who gave me a quick wave. I, of course, waved back.

"Gwendolyn," Jacob started, but I stopped him.

"No, Jake. I am never going to feel bad about choosing him over you. You just have to face reality! I-"

Jake placed a finger over my lips, silencing me. "Gwen, before you interrupted me, I was going to say that out of all the Cullens, Hale is a…good choice." He looked almost pained as he said this.

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't have as much of a problem with him as I did with the other Cullen," he said.

"With Edward? Why?"

"Maybe because I never had any interactions with vamps before, and maybe because he was keeping Bella from seeing me as just a _friend_, and so I hated him more. But with Hale…He let's you do what you want-"

"Because I can kick his ass if he tries to be overbearing."

Jake laughed. "And after seeing his expertise when we were up against the newborns, I guess I have a lot of respect for him." Jacob didn't meet my eyes.

"Oh, Jake!" I cried, and threw my arms around his neck. "I knew you weren't the bastard that I thought you were!"

He laughed again, and pulled me off of him. "Hey, take it easy; I don't want him thinking I'm trying to steal you."

"Jasper knows I can look after myself." I smiled. Jake actually liked Jasper.

"You know you can wipe that damn smile off your face any time now," Jake said.

I laughed. "Oh, Jacob. C'mon, let's go inside."

Jake got off the hood first and picked me up by my waist and set me on the ground.

"I was perfectly capable of doing that myself!" I said.

"Whatever." He smirked.

"What happened to not wanting Jazz to think you're stealing me?" I asked.

"Like you said," he replied as he opened the front door for me. "He knows you can look after yourself."

My mouth opened closed several times; I was speechless. How did I decide to respond? I crossed my arms, and pushed past him into the house.

"Don't be mad," Jacob said.

"I'm not mad," I sighed, and then I giggled. "You know you're pretty cool to hang out with."

"You're not so bad yourself. Although I am a little terrified of you," he admitted.

"Everyone is." I shrugged.

He smirked.

"So Jake, why did you come over here? Why not just call me to tell me the party was canceled?"

"Well, I, uh, had to…tell Bella as well," he replied. That was such a lie.

"Jacob Black," I said.

'I wanted to see you again," he admitted. "I know I screwed up by shunning you all this time, and it wasn't fair."

"Jake, you will find someone. I know it."

He ran his hand through his hair. "What if I told you I already had?"

"What?"

Before Jake could reply, we heard a scream come from upstairs.

"What was that?" Jake asked, looking startled.

I was about to start ascending the stairs when Alice appeared in front of me. "It's Bella," she said, her eyes full of concern.

I rushed past her, Jake at my heels. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no…

I ran into Edward's room, and there was Bella, laying in the center of the bed, her face deathly pale. Carlisle was standing over her, examining her breathing, which was pretty raspy. Edward was standing at the foot of the bed, looking stricken.

"What happened?" Jacob demanded.

"She said she wasn't feeling well, so she went into the bathroom, and then she screamed," Edward said. "She had coughed up blood."

_The apple was rotting from the inside out. _I remembered that strange occurrence from a few weeks ago. Now I know what it was talking about.

I sat on the bed next to Bella, and carefully took her hand in mine. "I did this to you," I whispered.

She nodded weakly and offered a smile. "I insisted on taking the potion. It's not your fault." She started coughing again, and Carlisle quickly sat her up so she could breath easier.

"I never should have let you take it," Edward sighed.

"Like you could have stopped her," I replied. "Girls that fall in love with vampires do what they want. You can't control us."

Bella started to laugh, but then she started coughing again, only worse. A trickle of blood appeared at the side of her mouth.

"You have no choice, Edward. You have to turn her," Carlisle said. "There's nothing I can do for her."

That was it. Jake ran out of the room and the sound of heavy footfalls from outside indicated he had phased. I went out of the room, but not before saying _I'm sorry, Edward._

I have no idea whether he heard me or not. I was halfway down the hall when his door was closed, and I flew down the stairs, tears burning my eyes. I had failed everyone.

"Gwendolyn-" Alice said as I ran out the back door.

I ignored her. I just wanted to be alone. As I walked deeper and deeper into the forest, I could feel my emotions building and building, and I knew what would happen next.

I let down my guard, and my anger and self-loathing radiated from me. Suddenly I was floating in midair, my shield around me, expanding to accommodate my ever-increasing emotional climate. Then with a burst of pure power, the shield shattered and the blast radiated throughout the woods, probably going on for several miles in all directions.

I was exhausted, and my body crumpled to the ground.

"Gwendolyn!" a familiar voice shouted, and I was suddenly wrapped in cool, stone arms. "Gwen?"

"I screwed up. I killed her," I sobbed into his chest.

"No, you didn't. This is _not_ your fault," Jasper said. "She knew the risks. It's not like you hid them from her."

"Everyone must hate me," I cried.

"No, they don't," Jasper said, cradling me in his arms. "Everyone still loves you."

"Edward?" I asked.

"He's blaming himself right now. Not you."

"Bella?"

"Is kind of happy to finally be turned. Accidentally poisoning her was a great favor for her."

"Jasper!" I said, horrified.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he immediately said. "I was just trying to lighten the mood.

"Idiot."

"Gwen, look at me," he said, and when I didn't, he put his finger under my chin and lfted my head up, our eyes meeting. "I still love you."

"I love you, too."

He smiled and softly kissed my lips.

"Jazz," I sighed, a smile coming to my face.

"Better?" he asked, a knowing smirk on his face.

"A little," I said.

"Good." He stood up and gently placed my feet on the ground. "Can you stand on your own?"

I placed my weight on my legs, and when I didn't collapse, I nodded.

"Do you wanna stay here, or go back to the house?" he asked. "Your decision."

I wasn't in the mood for seeing everyone, so I replied, "Let's stay here."

"Excellent. I was hoping you would say that." He disappeared for a second before reappearing before me again, a picnic basket in his arms. "I had already planned this, just to let you know."

He laid out a blanket and gestured for me to join him. I sat cross-legged next to him as he began to take out several dishes.

"Jasper, I can't eat all of this by myself," I said in shock.

"You can always take the leftovers home for Melody. And Seth," he added. "How are they?"

As we carried on a light conversation while I ate. Jasper was laying propped up on one elbow, and eventually I laid down next to him, enjoying the cool afternoon. Then the sun shone brightly through the tree branches, and my necklace burst into color, throwing rainbows everywhere.

I laughed. "Wow. This is so amazing."

"I'm glad you like it." Jazz reached out a hand and stroked the heart on my necklace. The sun's rays caused his skin to sparkle like diamonds, like my pendant.

I stroked a finger over his hand, marveling at the way it shimmered. He smiled, his eyes glued to me. "Jazz?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes, darlin'?" he said.

"Where exactly does Edward need to, uh, bite Bella? I know in the movies it's always the neck, but I wasn't sure-" I asked the question quickly, a blush rising to my cheeks, and Jazz cut me off with a smirk.

"Well, darlin', in order for the venom to spread quickly, it's better to bite a lot of places than just one."

I nodded.

"For example," he said, and moved down to where my feet were. "The ankles." He placed a kiss on the back of each of my ankles, his lips lingering for a moment. "And the back of the knees." Another kiss to each leg. He slowly was making his way up my body.

"The wrists," he said, placing a tender kiss over the artery on each arm. He kissed the inside of my elbows, and I noticed he had my arms trapped in his grip. "And, of course, the neck," he whispered before lightly nudging my head to the side so he could kiss my neck.

"That doesn't seem so bad," I finally managed to say as Jasper got off of me and sat back down.

"Not so bad," he said, and smiled. "Are you ready to go back to the house? It's getting late."

"Not yet," I said, and moved into his lap. His eyes darkened a little, the topaz color fading, and I kissed him roughly. He leaned back and I was on top of him, his hands rubbing small circles on my back. I ran my fingers through his hair, loving the feel of his golden curls.

"Jasper," I said breathlessly, breaking off the kiss for air. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied before capturing my lips with his once more.

**A/N: I had to write something a little steamy...;)**

**Review, pretty please! **

**And I would just like to alert all of the _Merlin_ fans out there that I am currently writing a multi-chap piece for this amazing show, and I will try to post the first chap ASAP!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Wow. Okay, so I am aware I haven't updated in a month. I've been busy, and now with school starting, I'll be even more busy. So please don't get mad when I don't update for a while. I haven't forgotten about my dear readers!**

Jasper and I walked back to the house, the sky darkening with the setting sun. Even though Jazz assured me nobody blamed me, I still felt really guilty. As we made our way to the back porch my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Thank god, Gwen! I've been trying to reach you for ages!"_

"Melody, what's wrong?" I asked, Jasper now frozen by my sudden anxiety.

"_What the hell happened over there today?"_

"Uh, um, well, Edward had to turn Bella…"

"_Oh, god!" _Melody sounded almost hysterical.

"Mel, what's wrong? What's happening?"

I heard her take a deep breath. _"The Cullens violated the treaty. Edward bit a human. Now the pack is coming over to-" _She couldn't finish her thought.

I swayed on the spot, and Jasper quickly wrapped his arms around me, steadying me. "What can we do?"

"_Create a front between them and Bella. They view her as a danger. Try to talk it out."_

"Are you coming over?" I asked quietly.

Her silence told me everything. _"You'll be fine. So far the future is in your favor."_

"So far. Thanks, Mel. I'll see you later…?"

"_Bye." _She hung up, and I stood there, my brain slowly processing what was happening.

Thank god Jazz had incredible hearing. "Let's get you inside."

I let him take me into the house, and as I sat in the kitchen, Jasper went to relay the news to the rest of the house. We all finally convened in the kitchen, except for Esme, who was looking after Bella. Everyone was looking somber, even Emmett. That was a first.

"A front?" Rose asked.

"All of us against all of them. If they can't get to Bella, no problem."

"But what about Edward? He's the one who technically violated the treaty."

"I need to be there to interpret what the pack is thinking." His expression was pained, though; he wanted to stay with Bella.

"How the hell did they even learn about this?" Rose asked.

_Jacob_, I thought bitterly.

"That doesn't matter," Carlisle said. "What matters is that we protect our family."

Everyone nodded.

"So how long do we have?" Emmett asked.

Edward glanced out the window. "About thirty seconds."

We headed outside, but Jasper held me back. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here with Bella and Esme?"

I glared defiantly at him. "I can protect you better if I'm actually _with_ you."

Jasper knew he was losing the argument. "Fine. But please be careful," he begged.

"I'm always careful," I replied. I took his hand. "Come on," I said softly.

We walked outside just in time for several large wolves to walk out of the woods. We all lined up, making sure there was a good barrier between Bells and them, and Edward was closest to the door into the house, just in case things went wrong.

A large black wolf came to stand in front of us, and Edward acted as translator.

"He says that the treaty has been broken."

"We know we've violated the treaty, but Bella was dying," Carlisle said.

"How?" Sam asked through Edward.

Carlisle hesitated before answering. "She was accidentally poisoned. There was no medical treatment that could have saved her."

I saw some movement to my right and glanced over to see a large russet-brown wolf. I shook my head at him and tightened my grip on Jasper's hand.

"The treaty has no exceptions. You must pay the price."

Everyone moved closer to Edward, shielding him from the wolves. Sam growled lowly.

"But she was dying! Would you rather her die than be saved?" I asked, a quiet hiss from Jasper telling me to be careful.

Sam turned his piercing gaze on me. "Jacob showed us that it was you who poisoned her. Her being turned saved you from murder."

I felt my power surging, having been angered by those words. "And did he tell you that the potion was supposed to save both her and Edward from breaking the treaty?"

I heard a quiet whine from Jacob, but I didn't dare glance away from Sam.

"The Cullens cannot renege on the treaty. A human was bitten, and a dangerous newborn created."

"But Bella will only hunt animals!"

"Newborns are volatile. I'm sure he could tell you that." Sam looked at Jasper.

"So you're willing to kill two innocent people because of a treaty?"

Sam didn't answer; his ears flicked back, his stance defiant. Suddenly Jake moved to stand right in-between the black wolf and the Cullens.

"This isn't right, Sam," Edward said, now interpreting Jake's thoughts.

"Jacob Black, you forget your place." Sam growled, hackles raised.

"No, I haven't. I'm the rightful Alpha of the pack."

I noticed how much bigger Jacob was than Sam.

"You've never accepted it before."

"I am now." Jake growled at the smaller wolf, a sound like thunder, and Sam backed away from him.

"Gwendolyn is right; they are innocent. We have no right to harm them." Jake turned to face me, his head lowered. "I'm sorry for all of this."

I nodded at him. "I forgive you."

Jake wagged his tail once before turning back to the rest of the pack. "Go! Leave the Cullens alone. There will be dire consequences should any one of them be hurt."

The other wolves looked unsure, not able to decide if they should stand with Sam or obey Jacob. This could be bad.

A smaller wolf came to stand beside Jacob, and I wasn't surprised to see that it was Seth. I was, however, surprised to see a lithe gray one stand on his other side. _Leah_.

They looked challengingly at the others, daring them to attack. I was so on-edge that when I heard the sudden snap of a twig, my powers took over and I threw a shield between the two opposing sides. The other wolves backed up, whining, and Sam cocked his head at me.

"Damn," I heard Emmett mutter.

Leah backed up a little, but Seth shook his head at her, and waved his tail once. She relaxed and turned her gaze to me. I smiled at her. There's never a bad time to try to make new friends.

"Wow, Gwen. Did I miss all the excitement?" a familiar voice asked, and we all turned to see Melody coming from the house. "I was hoping to catch some action."

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, trying to talk to my cousin while keeping my shield up. Not an easy task.

"I had a brilliant idea, and just had to see if it would work. Lower your shield," she said.

I gaped at her. "Are you completely crazy?"

"Nope. Just a little." She gave me a knowing smile. "Trust me." She placed her arm around me, and, with some stares of disbelief from the Cullens _and_ from the wolves, took down the shield.

"Sam, as I am Seth's imprint, and since pack rules state that a wolf's imprint is _never _to be harmed," she said, coming to stand in front of Sam. "You cannot harm them. I am standing with them, and if a fight broke out, I could be killed, and we all know how that affects the pack," Mel said, and the wolves lowered their heads.

"They're backing off," Alice said.

And it was true. The pack was retreating back into the woods, and everyone visibly relaxed. Mel walked over and started to pet Seth, who nudged her affectionately. Leah and Jake shared a glance before Leah ran off back to the rez, and the Cullens went back into the house, all of them except for Jazz, Edward and Carlisle.

"Thank you. Both of you," Edward said. "It's good to know that we have allies within La Push," he told Mel and the two wolves. The two wolves obviously responded in their minds, and Edward smiled.

"You're welcome here anytime," Carlisle told them. As he turned to walk inside with Edward, he said, "And thank you, Gwendolyn."

"It was nothing," I replied, blushing.

Jasper hugged me. "I'll drive you home now, if you want."

"I'd like that. Give me a minute?"

He kissed my forehead before he said, "Okay."

I turned to Jacob. "You are an idiot."

He barked at me.

"That's really nice, Gwen," Mel replied.

"So are you! You're both idiots! You could've been hurt, or worse! But you're also selfless friends, and that's why I'm saying thank you."

Melody squealed and pulled me into a hug, Jacob nuzzling my back.

"Now let's go home," I sighed. "I need a drink."

Seth and Jacob each let out a raspy bark. They were laughing!

I patted each of them. "Take care, boys."

They ran off back to the rez, and Melody and I drove back home.

It had been one hell of a day.

**A/N: Please review! **

**Oh! And if you're a fan of Merlin, check out my story _The Lady In Gray_. ;)  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: So sorry for the delay! With school starting, I haven't had a lot of time to write. Thank god for 4 day weekends! So finally here's the next chap! Please enjoy!**

I was lounging on my bed with Jasper. It had been a couple days since the incident with the pack, but everything had settled down. I had even visited the Cullens, not feeling like I was the cause of Bella's "death."

Jasper tightened his hold around me. "Gwendolyn," he breathed into my hair.

I sighed contentedly. Nothing was better than spending an afternoon in Jasper's arms. When I heard one of our phones vibrate, killing the moment, I growled.

Jasper laughed. "Calm down, darlin'. It's Alice."

"Stupid pixie," I huffed, and Jasper sweetly kissed my forehead before answering the phone. I watched his expression as Ali talked to him. His face fell, and was replaced with urgency.

"I'm sorry, Gwen, but I have to go," he said, shutting his phone and getting up off the bed.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"Bella's getting ready to wake up. I need to be there to control her emotions. Newborns are extremely volatile."

I nodded my understanding, and we both tried to walk out of my room at the same time.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jasper asked.

"With you, to see Bella," I replied shortly. Before he could protest, I placed a finger over his lips. "Vampires aren't attracted to witch blood. I'll be safe, especially with you protecting me."

Jasper sighed heavily, knowing that there was no way he could leave me out of this. I kissed him, trying to make him feel better.

"You really are impossible, aren't you?" he asked as I took his hand we hurried out of the apartment to my car, Tasha on our heels.

"Would you love me if I weren't?" I asked with a knowing smirk.

When we got to the Cullens, I tried to lock Tasha in the car, but to no avail.

"Tasha!" I whined. "You'll be eaten! Bella can't control her thirst yet!"

Tasha glared at me, sitting defiantly on the roof of my car. How she managed to jump up there, I'm not sure…

"Esme," Jasper called, and suddenly his mother-figure was outside with us. "Will you look after Tasha?"

"Okay," she said, and scooped Tasha into her arms. The black cat gave a happy purr. "I'll keep her in the kitchen. She should be safe there."

"How's Bella?" I asked as the three of us walked into the house.

"Well, Carlisle gave her morphine after Edward bit her; he wanted to see if that would help with the pain," she explained. "She's been in a coma-like state since the other day. But her heart is starting to fail," she said, her head tilted towards the upstairs as we walked in.

"I don't want a lot of us in there with her when she wakes," Jasper said. "She'll be disoriented and overwhelmed by her new senses. She'll be less of a threat if there's only two or three of us with her."

"Edward hasn't left her side," Esme told me. "He's been talking to her and holding her hand."

"She's very lucky to have such a supportive family," I said. "It'll make the transition easier for her, I'm sure."

"That's what we're hoping," Carlisle said, appearing at the top of the steps. "Jasper, Alice said she'll be awake in two minutes."

"One minute and 45 seconds!" Ali called from somewhere in the house. Then she appeared beside me, a pout on her face. "I wish I could be with her!"

"It's too dangerous, Ali," Carlisle and Jasper said simultaneously.

"And Gwen's not going to be with her, either," Jazz said slowly, and I wanted to kill him.

"Gwendolyn!" Alice practically shouted in my ear. "I found an awesome outfit for you! C'mon!" She grabbed my hand and spirited me away upstairs to her room, where I fell on the bed as Ali unexpectedly let me go and dashed into her walk-in closet.

"Where's Em and Rose?" I asked, dodging a blouse that was thrown at my head.

"Oh, they're downstairs with Irina," she informed me.

"Who's Irina?" I asked.

"She's a 'cousin' of ours, from the Denali coven." Her head popped out of the closet. "Jazz told you about them?"

"Yeah. They're vegetarians, like you guys. Why is she here?"

"Well," Alice started and sat down on the bed with me. "We've haven't been on very good terms with her since Laurent was killed…"

I nodded my understanding. Laurent had gone to visit the Denali coven to see if he could be on the vegetarian diet. He and Irina were apparently mates, but when Laurent came back to Forks to kill Bella, the wolves had killed him.

"She came back to apologize about her actions, about not attending Bella and Edward's wedding and disowning the family. We understand that she was distraught; it's tough to lose a mate." A note of sadness crept into Alice's voice. "But she's sorry, and we've welcomed her back."

I smiled. "How is Bella going to take her being here?"

"Once we have her under control, I think she'll be fine," Alice said thoughtfully. "And Irina has actually made a very nice offer."

"Offer?"

"She asked Bella and Edward to come back with her, to Alaska. I think it would be good for Bella to be away from humans, that is until she gets her thirst controlled."

"That's very kind of her," I said.

"Yes. I think Edward's tempted to accept it. He's afraid Bella might accidentally hurt someone she cares about in Forks."

"I think it would be good for Bella to get away. And I've heard Alaska is very beautiful…"

"Oh, it's the best!" Alice said excitedly. "The wilderness is breathtaking, and the hunting isn't bad, either- Oh!" She stopped herself with a giggle.

"Yeah, that's where you lose me," I laughed.

Our little awkward moment was interrupted by Jasper standing in the doorway. "Ali," he started, "Did you know something about Bella that you didn't share?"

"Like what, Jazzy?" she asked innocently.

"Like Bella having unbelievable control for a newborn," Jasper said.

I gasped. "Really?"

Jasper nodded. "She was able to calm herself down when she got a little excited. I've never seen a newborn able to do that!" "Where is she now?" Alice asked.

"Edward is taking her hunting, and then they're going to talk to Irina." He paused thoughtfully. "I think they should go. Then the pack won't be worried about Bella."

Something dawned on me. "It was Irina that was in the rez, wasn't it?"

"Yep. She got a little confused when she was trying to find us and wandered into their territory."

"Thank god she was able to get away. It would've been such a tragedy if she had been killed."

Silence descended on the three of us, and I got an idea. I got up and walked over to Jasper, slipping my arms around him. "Can we get away for a while?" I asked.

"Where to, angel?" he asked, brushing my hair away from my face.

"We can go back to my house," I said. "I haven't been back in a month; I really need to check on it. Make sure it's still standing."

Jasper chuckled. "Well, since Bella seems to be under control-"

"And since she and Edward are indeed going to Alaska," Alice said, snapping out of a vision.

"Okay, Gwen. I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately. We'll have a little extended vacation."

That night Jasper drove us back to my house. Tasha was curled up asleep on my lap when we pulled into my driveway.

"Well, it's still standing," Jasper noted, taking our suitcases out of the trunk and carrying them up the front steps.

"The outside is, at least," I said, carrying a limp cat in my arms. "It's locked," I said as Jazz went for the door knob. "There's a spare key-" I stood in shock as Jazz turned the knob and opened the door.

"It was locked," I said.

"It's not anymore," Jasper replied. Then I saw him stiffen, and head a low growl come from him. "There's someone in your house."

Panic flooded me. Grandmother had put multiple spells around here to prevent intruders from breaking into the house. It was impenetrable, unless you had a key.

Jasper told me to stay outside.

"Like hell," I mumbled, carefully putting Tasha on one of the chairs on the porch and following my boyfriend into the house. With my powers and his…well, his being a vampire, I felt pretty secure.

As we walked through the front hall, a little crash caused us to both jump.

"Kitchen," he mouthed.

I nodded, and we crept around the corner. The refrigerator door was open, blocking whoever was rummaging through my food. Quicker than a gunshot, Jasper had the intruder pinned against the now closed fridge door.

"Turn on the light, Gwendolyn," he instructed.

I flicked the switch and gasped. The figure was struggling to free himself of Jasper's iron grip, brown eyes wide with terror.

"Jasper, let him go!" I said, springing forward and putting myself between Jasper's rage and the trembling figure.

"Do you know this guy?" Jazz asked, unwilling to release him just yet.

"Know him?" I laughed. "This is Antonio!"

**A/N: Yay for Antonio! Trust me- you'll love him! Once I get the next chapter out, that is. And can't make any promises about when that might be. Super sorry!**

**Please review! :)  
**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Please forgive me for the HUGE delay in putting this up. My school work has been taking over my life. Please enjoy!**

Jasper's eyes widened in recognition and he immediately stepped back. Antonio looked nervously at him but then his familiar brown eyes settled on me. "Gwendolyn, it's good to see you."

In response to that, I slapped him across the face. Jasper made a surprised gasp while Antonio put his hand against his now-red cheek. "What the hell was that for?"

"Antonio Jordan Smith, why the _hell_ didn't you tell me that you were going to _Everest_?" I shouted. I was royally pissed. "You could have died without a protection charm on you! And then you just disappeared off the face of the earth when Grandmother passed away! I needed you, damn it!" I dabbed at my eyes with the corner of my sleeve. I hadn't even realized I was crying.

A million emotions passed over Antonio's face. "Gwendolyn, I'm really sorry. I had no idea-" He stepped forward, but stopped himself when Jasper but a comforting arm around me. He calmed down the emotions in the room, Antonio ignorant of his power.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," I said, running a hand through my hair, "how the hell did you get in my house?"

"Oh, that's easy," Antonio replied. "I used the spare key that was buried in the rose pot."

"Of course you did," I sighed.

"Gwen," Jasper said quietly. "You haven't really introduced me yet."

"God, I'm sorry," I said, a light blush rising to my cheeks. "Jasper, this is Antonio Smith. Antonio, this is Jasper Hale."

Jasper held out his hand. "I've heard a lot about you. It's good to finally meet you."

"Yeah," Antonio said, cautiously shaking hands. "I, uh, wish I could say the same."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I roughed you up," Jasper said apologetically.

"Nah, it's okay," Antonio said, but the slight quiver in his voice said otherwise. "I would've done the same."

"Yes, because you were _so_ brave when we were dating," I put in with a smirk. "Jazz, could you put my things in my room?"

"Sure, darlin'," he replied and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. I could have sworn I saw him shoot a glance at Antonio…

Just then Tasha walked into the kitchen.

"Tasha, you remember Antonio," I said, gesturing to him.

The cat walked over and warily sniffed Antonio's boots. She looked up at him and gave a dismissive flick of her tail before walking over to her empty food bowl.

"I guess she's still up to her old tricks?" he asked as I walked over and got a bag of cat food from one of the cupboards.

"Oh, yes," I replied and sat a big bowl of dry food in front of a now-purring Tasha.

"And I'm guessing that you, too, are still up to your old tricks?" he asked, looking far more relaxed now that Jasper had left.

"Naturally," I replied.

"And does he-" He gestured towards the door that Jasper just walked out of. "Does he know that you're a…_witch_?" he whispered.

"Oh, yeah," I replied with a roll of my eyes at his secrecy. "Of course he knows. And he knows about Melody, too."

"He's met Mel?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"Of course!" I said. "He and his family live in Forks. I met them when I was visiting Mel." So that was a bit of a lie; telling Antonio I finally decided to uncover the secrets of my quilt meant revealing Jasper's true nature. Not gonna go there yet.

"So you two are pretty serious? I mean, you don't tell anyone your secret."

"I guess we are," I said, with a little knowing glance towards the ceiling; Jazz would be listening. "I love him a lot."

"But not more than me, right?" Antonio asked in his obnoxious way.

I laughed. "No, Antonio, definitely not more than you."

We both laughed and then the moment became a bit more serious. I walked over to him and put my arms around his neck. "I've missed you, Antonio."

He hugged me back. "I've missed you, too, Gwendolyn."

**A/N: Short chapter, I know. But please review! **

**And Happy Thanksgiving!  
**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Another short chapter, but this is just to make up for my negligence in updating. I can't believe I've been able to update twice this week, though! *happy dance* **

After leaving Antonio in the kitchen so I could freshen-up from the trip home, I was met by Jasper in my room.

"He doesn't like me," Jasper said, leaning against my dresser.

"Nonsense!" I replied, walking into my bathroom. "What gives you that idea?"

"Well, he seemed a bit…jealous." Jasper finally settled on the last word.

I scoffed, running a brush through my hair. "Why the hell would he be jealous of you?"

"Well," Jasper said, lazily strolling into the bathroom without my consent. "He seemed pretty interested in the fact that I knew about your powers."

"Well, that's Antonio," I responded. "He's always been interested in my life. He feels…possessive of me, but not in a crazy way," I added hastily. "He's concerned about me."

Jasper nodded, taking the brush from me and slowly running it through my hair. "I think he feels as though I'm intruding on his territory."

"I'm guessing I'm the territory, right?"

When Jasper smirked, I glared. "I can date whoever I want!"

"Tell him that," Jasper said.

"I will. At dinner tonight. And you better be on your best behavior!" I growled.

Jasper quickly spun my around so that I was pressed between the sink and him. "Now, Gwendolyn," he said, leaning in seductively close, "Aren't I always?"

Later that night I crashed onto my bed in a defeated huff. "Worst…Dinner…Ever. And I didn't think it could get any worse than that first one at your house!" I muttered into the bedspread.

"I thought it went well," Jasper said, sitting next to me on my bed. "This one, I mean; the one with the family was just awkward."

I laughed, giving up my moodiness. I rolled over and saw Jasper smiling. "Very true. But this one was…" I couldn't find the right word.

"What was so bad about it?" Jasper asked.

I sat up. "Let's see, there was awkwardly telling Antonio that the two of us would be sharing a room, thus freeing up the guest room for his use-"

"He brought that on himself," Jasper pointed out. "He asked."

"There was me having to cover for your apparent appetite, or lack thereof," I continued.

"Comes with dating a vampire," Jasper said. "And it's your fault you're not telling him the truth."

"So this is all my fault?" I asked incredulously.

Jasper looked away for a second, and I groaned, throwing myself back against the bed. "How can I tell him that my boyfriend was not only destined for me, but served in the Civil War? Oh, and to top it off, Melody is dating a werewolf!"

"Technically, Seth and them are shape-shifters," Jasper said, making my irritation grow.

"I don't care if they're pixies! Antonio will have a fit!"

"Well," Jasper started, laying down next to me, "How did you tell him you were a witch?"

I sighed, calling back the memory. "I…might have…started yelling at him…And the curtains on the windows…"

"Yes?" Jasper pressed.

"Caught on fire."

Jasper laughed. "Why does that not surprise me?"

I lightly hit him. "Well, Antonio freaked out. He tried to run out of the room, but I shut the door from six feet away. I had a hell of a time calming him down."

"I bet." Jasper was clearly amused. "And what would his reaction be if you told him about me?"

"He would probably get out the crucifixes and garlic," I laughed. "But then he would see what a kind, polite, non-threatening vampire you are." As an afterthought, I added, "Who's pretty hot, too."

Jasper quickly pinned me underneath of him and kissed me. "Just like he learned that you're a pretty, intelligent witch?" he asked. "With a mean-streak?" he added cheekily.

"Oh, yes," I said, and captured his lips once more.

**A/N: Please review! I've gotten so few reviews for past chapters, and that makes me feel like no one's reading. So reviews? Pretty please with Jasper on top? ;)**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, as always. I've never had this much school work consuming my life before. But here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Well, a week had come and gone at my house, and still Antonio refused to accept Jasper. Every time he saw Jasper walk out of my room in the mornings, Antonio would give him the death stare! Naturally, he had no idea that I saw his little antics, but I never said anything, hoping the problem would clear itself up. But it didn't. As the three of us were packing the car with our bags, returning to Forks and taking Antonio to see Melody, I decided it was time to have a good talk with him.

Jasper had just gone back into the house to find Tasha, which left Antonio and I alone outside. He had just opened the passenger door to get in when I quickly closed it and spun him around, pinning him to the side of the car.

"What the hell, Gwen?" he asked, looking slightly scared.

"I should be asking you the same question! Now, I know, for some inane reason, you hate Jasper, but we have a bit of car ride ahead of us, and I promise you, if you do or say anything that is less than civil to him, I will throw you out of the car," I threatened.

Antonio's eyes widened. He knew I meant business. "I promise I'll be nicer."

"Good," I said, smiling and letting go of him. "Now get in the car."

He did so obediently.

Just then Jasper appeared with Tasha in his arms. "This is everything. I already locked up the house. You ready?"

"Yep," I replied, taking the cat from him. "You're driving, right?"

He grin wickedly. "Of course."

I knew that grin. "Try to keep it under 100, would you? Antonio is already under enough stress."

"I heard your little conversation. Very impressive. I was a bit scared myself," he added with a smile, and I lightly pushed him.

"Shut up and get in the car," I laughed.

"What did I tell you?" I shouted at Jasper. "Keep it under 100!"

"I am!" Jasper smiled triumphantly. "It's exactly at 99."

"Make him stop, Gwendolyn!" Antonio begged in the backseat, cuddling an angry Tasha for comfort.

"Jasper Whitlock Hale, slow this car down!" I ordered.

At my request, he eased up on the gas, the car slowly decelerating. I heard Antonio give a sigh of relief. "Thank god that's over."

I turned to look at him. "I think you're suffocating Tasha."

Antonio looked down in surprise and quickly let go of the bundle of fur that he had been crushing to his chest. She quickly jumped to the other side of the backseat, looking at him disdainfully, then proceeded to groom herself.

"Sorry, Tasha," he said, and tried to pet her, but she gave him a low growl, which made him quickly snatch his hand away. Since my cat now loathed him, at least for the moment, Antonio decided to turn his attention to me, leaning forward and propping his chin on the corner of my seat. "So, Gwen, how long has this Seth character been with our beloved Mel?"

"About eight months," I said. "Maybe a little longer."

"And you've met him?"

"Yep. He's really nice. He really cares her," I added. "Nothing is more important to him than her." As all imprints are to their wolves.

"Well, I'm glad she finally found someone she loves to spend time with."

"They spend as _much_ as time as possible with each other," I said, smirking a bit.

"What does that mean?" Antonio asked, looking at me.

"Oh, well, let's just say that they do not object to pursuing a very physical relationship," I said with a laugh.

Jasper snorted. "That seems like an understatement."

"Everything is an understatement with Melody," Antonio and I said in unison, laughing at each other's shocked facial expression.

I could tell the light conversation was making Jazz more comfortable; he was no longer rigid in the driver's seat, but relaxed, and a small smile shaped his lips. Those very perfect lips… Oops, Jasper just felt the change in my emotions. A blush covered my face as he turned his knowing eyes on me. Suddenly I felt my phone vibrate, and took it out of my purse, seeing that I had just gotten a text from him.

_Penny for you thoughts?_

Yeah, right. _You wish._

I sent the text, and saw that he had his phone resting on his leg. When his phone went off, he quickly opened it, read the text, and his fingers flew over the keypad, all without the car swerving or even changing speed. Damn skilled vampires.

_You're being mean. Why won't you tell me?_

_You damn well know what I was thinking, empath._

He smiled at my word for him.

"Why are you texting while you're driving?" Antonio asked, shocked. "You could kill us all!"

"I'm a careful driver, Antonio, don't worry," he said with a wink at me.

Antonio gave a huff and rested his head on the back of my headrest. "Please tell me how he got you?" he asked me.

"He swept me off my feet," I replied.

"I believe the correct question is how _you_ got her," Jasper said.

Oh, now he was just asking for it.

"Jasper," I warned. "Play nicely."

"I got her because she was all alone in a place where she wasn't accepted," Antonio answered, ignoring my comment. "High school is hell, especially when you don't fit in."

"Tell me about it," Jasper muttered.

"Time to change the topic!" I said energetically. "Let's see…"

"Can I meet your family?" Antonio asked suddenly.

I'm pretty sure Jasper almost had a small stroke. "Um, well, Gwen-?"

"I just want to meet the family, or the adopted family, of my best friend's boyfriend," Antonio defended. "Is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's fine," Jazz said. "Gwendolyn, when do you think is a good time?"

Just then my phone rang. _Invite him here tomorrow!_

_Alice, how the hell did you know?_

_Vision! Can't see the guy, for some reason, but he's welcome here! Esme is ecstatic!_

"How about tomorrow?" I asked to the two in the car.

"Oh, Ali," Jazz said under his breath.

"Tomorrow's good for me. You?"

"Sure, sure," Jasper replied, and then a horrified look came over his face as he realized he just quoted Jacob.

I stifled my giggle.

"So, Gwendolyn," Antonio asked, and just by his tone I knew I wasn't going to like where this was going. "Have you two…?" He trailed off suggestively.

"THAT'S IT! Jasper, pull this car over! We're leaving Antonio behind!"

"Yes!" Jasper said happily.

"C'mon, Gwen! I was just joking!" Antonio whined.

"Whatever Jasper and I do is our own business!" I shouted, my face turning red with embarrassment.

"Okay, okay, I get that!" Antonio said, settling back into his seat. "So have you-?"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted, and I momentarily lost control of my magic long enough for the car to rock in accordance with my angry emotions.

"Calm down, angel," Jazz whispered, taking one of his hands off the steering wheel and reaching over to take one of mine. Immediately I felt him take away my rage.

"Thank you," I murmured, intertwining our fingers.

He smiled in reply, and I sighed contentedly while Antonio tried to sweet-talk Tasha.

The rest of the ride continued in sweet silence as Jasper kept feeding me wave after wave of love, and by the time we got to Forks, I was so ready to kiss the hell out of that man of mine. Of course, I had to restrain myself as Melody and Antonio were reunited and the couch was designated as his bed, all the while Jasper had "returned home," which actually meant he was waiting for me in my room, Antonio completely unknowing and Mel…Well, I actually wouldn't be surprised if she knew, just like I always knew when Seth was hiding out in hers.

That night, after Antonio was already sound asleep, Tasha curled into a little ball on her chest (they had made up in the car; Tasha always had a soft spot for him), I went into my room and locked the door, happy to see Jasper laying on my bed.

"A hell of a day, huh?" he asked as I curled up next to him.

"Ugh, too much 'Tonio in one day," I sighed. "I had forgotten just how incorrigible he was."

"He's like another Emmett," Jasper noted.

"Like you were any better?" I asked.

"I'm sorry if I added to your pain," he said sincerely. "I was just reacting to his emotions."

"That's okay. And he isn't always that bad. He's actually really sweet. He's just trying to get used to another man in my life. His words, to be honest. He told me the other night."

"He was the only significant guy in your life?" Jazz asked, a little surprised.

"My father was dead, Grandmother was single. I had no guy friends until Antonio showed up. And then he was the only boyfriend I ever had, until you."

"The question that he asked in the car," Jasper started. "Well, I know that we haven't, but did you two…? It's okay if you don't want to tell me. It's none of my business."

"Of course it's your business!" I said. I sat up to look at him, his gold eyes glowing in the dim room. "And we never did. He wanted to, a few times, but he never forced me to do anything I didn't want to."

"So that question was to check on the status of your virtue?" Jasper asked, amused.

"If I would have said "yes" I think Antonio would've tried to kill you." I grinned.

Jasper pulled me back down to him, chuckling. "I would like to see him try." He kissed me deeply, my nerves igniting in response. His arms wrapped around me, holding me to him, and when our lips parted, allowing me to breathe, I smiled at him.

"How come you always make me feel better?" I asked.

"Because this is true love. Do you think this happens every day?" he quoted smoothly from one of my favorite movies.

I laughed, then kissed him again. "It happens every day for us."

He smiled, some of his hair falling into his face, covering his eyes. "I love you, Gwendolyn."

"I love you, Jasper. For eternity."

**A/N: So I know the usual nickname for someone named "Antonio" is "Tony," but I wanted to be different, (as always!) thus, I got "Tonio." Like it?**

**Reviews are really appreciated! Over 50 people have this story on alert, so I really should be getting WAY more reviews! So please review! Do it for Jasper! ;)  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Wow, um, I know I've been gone a while, but now that school's over, I have a lot more time to write! And this story is, sadly, coming to a close. Just a few more chapters, and then we will have to part with these beloved characters...*sniff***

**But no tears now! For now, READ! READ THIS SUPER LONG CHAPTER THAT REAL-LIFE MELODY HELPED ME WITH! *wink*  
**

I was awoken early to the sound of raised voices coming from the kitchen. Actually, it was only one raised voice, which I immediately recognized as Antonio's. I rolled over in bed and saw that Jasper was gone, a note in his place. It said that he had gone for a quick hunt and to confirm Antonio's visit the next day to the rest of the family. Hopefully Emmett will be chained up before we would arrive, for all our sakes…

When the raised voice persisted, and I could no longer attribute it to Antonio having a simple nightmare, I crept out of my room and silently made my way into the kitchen. I had to slap a hand over my mouth to stop the burst of laughter I had t the sight before me: there was Antonio, clad in a white t-shirt and Smurf boxers (which I had bought him for his birthday), holding the wrong end of a baseball bat which was most likely the same one that Melody had shoved under the couch when she moved in (too lazy to put it anywhere else), waving it threateningly at a startled and dumbfounded Seth, who was only wearing a pair of red boxers.

Actually, Antonio either had a lot of guts or was incredibly stupid for standing up to a guy built like Seth; Antonio was fit, to be sure, but Seth was about twice his size, and could probably defenestrate little Tonio at any time.

"Why are you here? I'll call the cops!" Antonio shouted, waving the bat at Seth, or was he shaking with fear?

"I'm Melody's boyfriend! I swear, I am!" poor Seth tried to convince the raging lunatic in front of him.

I thought it was best to intervene since this had been going on for several minutes, and I was afraid that Antonio might hurt himself.

"What the hell are you doing shouting at two in the morning?" I demanded, walking into their vicinity.

"Gwendolyn, get back! This guy is an intruder!" Antonio shouted, panicking.

I walked right over to Seth and stood next to him. "_This_…_is_…_Seth_," I enunciated. "Mel's guy."

Some of the excitement died out of Antonio's eyes as he was calmed by my declaration. "But-but- but why is he here?"

"Because that's how Mel and Seth roll," I stated, giving a quick smile to Seth, who had relaxed considerably now that I was there. "Well, I think some quick introductions are appropriate. Antonio, this is Seth Clearwater. Seth, this is Antonio Smith."

Antonio relinquished his grip on the baseball bat, causing it to clatter to the floor, and hesitantly shook Seth's hand.

"There. Was that so hard?" I asked. "Now back to bed! Both of you!" I ordered. "Melody may be able to sleep through this ruckus, but I cannot!"

Seth gave Antonio a parting smile before grabbing a quick glass of water and heading back to Mel's room, mouthing a quick "thank you" at me. I pointed to the couch when Antonio didn't immediately move, and he begrudgingly got under the blankets.

"I don't think he should be here, at this time," he added quickly, clarifying his point.

"They're both consenting adults," I said. "They're entitled. And how quick you are to forget the goings-on in the backseat of my car!" I wiggled my eyebrows and he laughed.

"Yeah, those were good times," he sighed.

"You were such a sexual deviant back then, Tonio!" I said playfully, sitting on the back of the sofa. The familiar flame rose in my chest as we reminisced.

"You've been gone too long," I finally sighed. "So much has happened, and I needed you with me."

"I'm sorry, Gwendolyn. I know. But I'll stick around for so long that you'll be shoving me out the door!"

I laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately before going back to bed.

"Breakfast was ridiculously stressful this morning!" Melody informed me as I finally waltzed out of my room at noon. "Did you know that Antonio attacked Seth last night?"

"Know? I had to keep Antonio from clubbing Seth to death! Although I was more concerned for Antonio's well-being than Seth's."

"Well, of course!" Mel took a sip of her coffee. "Now Antonio I playing the 'big brother' card."

"Ah, welcome to the club!" I lifted my mug in a toast.

"You too, huh? Afraid you and Jazz were going to get it on at your house?"

"Yep. Over-protective lug."

"Hey!" Antonio cried indignantly. "I'm right here!"

"So what shall we do today?" I asked, both Mel and I ignoring a fuming Antonio.

"You promised that I could meet Jasper's family today!" he unfortunately reminded me.

"Oh, damn. That's right. Almost forgot about that," I sighed. "Let me just confirm with them-" My phone cut me off as I just received a text from Alice.

_All set here! Can't wait to see him!_

"They're ready. You're coming with us, right, Mel?" I asked hopefully.

"Wouldn't miss this for the world!" Mel said gleefully, throwing my car keys at me.

On the way there, I briefly described Jasper's family, putting particular emphasis on the "adopted" part.

"Rosalie and Jazz are twins, and Esme is their mother's cousin-"

"Really?" Mel asked from the passenger seat.

"Really," I said through gritted teeth.

"This is one hell of a confusing family tree," Antonio noted from the back seat.

"You're telling me." But there was no way that he was ready for the bloody truth. He would probably have a small stroke. Or a large one. Well, at least Carlisle's a doctor.

"Damn, that's their house?" he asked in awe as we pulled up in front.

I nodded, looking at the quaint splendor. "It's really gorgeous on the inside."

"Can't wait to see it," he said, and we all exited the car, Tasha leading Antonio to the front door; Mel and I held back.

"Are you sure you want to go through this charade?" she whispered to me.

"You know how long Antonio took to get used to our powers. The Cullens aren't even human; he'd be grabbing crosses and garlic!"

"Let's just hope everything goes down smoothly," she said as we reached the front porch and Esme and Carlisle opened the door to welcome us inside.

"Hello, girls!" Esme greeted us. "And you must be Antonio. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Esme, and this is my husband, Carlisle," she said sweetly.

"It's nice to meet you both," Antonio said, shaking their hands. There was something in Antonio's eyes that was a little off, like something was troubling him, but Tasha's little cry of attention broke my concentration.

"Oh, don't think I forgot you!" Esme cooed as she scooped the black cat up into her arms. Tasha rubbed her head against Esme's cheek. "She just adores me," she explained to Antonio in a motherly voice.

"Please, come inside," Carlisle instructed, and I could tell Antonio was shocked by the grandeur of the house as we stepped into the foyer.

Esme disappeared with Tasha in the direction of the kitchen, and Carlisle led us into the living room, all the while talking to Antonio. "Gwen told us you just got back from Everest?"

"Yes, sir. I'm a photographer for _National Geographic_. The assignment was too good to pass up."

"You have quite a talent. Yes, I've seen your work," Carlisle laughed at Antonio's shocked expression. "It's quite exceptional."

"Thank you, sir," Antonio said, shooting me a "Can you believe it?" look.

I smiled and gave Carlisle a quick wink. Good way to make Antonio feel comfortable.

When we walked into the living room, Jasper was sitting on the sofa with…

"Oh, god, no," I said under my breath, and all three vampires in the room knew what I meant.

"So you must be Antonio!" Emmett said excitedly, jumping off the couch and running over to us, Jasper hot on his heels. "Jazzy has told us all about you." I didn't trust the glint in his eyes.

"Hello again, Antonio. Don't mind Emmett," Jasper shoved the big oaf to the side to emphasize his point, "he's just upset that his girlfriend isn't here." Jasper shot him a warning look.

"Well, I best leave you guys to yourselves," Carlisle said. "It was nice meeting you, Antonio." And as he turned to leave, he quietly said to me, "He promised to behave. And Rose and Alice are out for a hunt. They'll be back shortly."

So that answered that question, but why couldn't Em have gone with them?

"There's nothing to fear," Mel said. "Look- they're bonding!"

And it was true. The boys had decided to play Black Ops, and they were sitting on the sofa, absorbed in the game. Thankfully Jasper had made sure to sit between Antonio and Emmett. No need to tempt fate.

"Let's see what Esme is up to," Mel suggested. "Perhaps we could make some snacks?"

"Okay," I agreed. I walked over to Antonio and patted his head. "Melody and I are getting snacks. We'll be back shortly."

He looked worried for a second, but when I kissed Jasper's cheek, he was reminded that he did know him. "Okay. See you in a bit."

Mel and I headed for the kitchen, where we found Esme humming away, fixing a splendid fruit tray, and Tasha was sitting on the window sill, watching the world pass by outside.

"So how are the boys?" Esme asked us.

"Good. They're playing videogames."

"Of course," she chuckled.

Mel stole a strawberry. "I think Antonio will like all you guys," she thought out loud.

"Well, any friend of yours and Gwendolyn's is welcome here," she replied. "Gwen, could you help me cut this?"

"Of course." I grabbed a knife and began slicing into a watermelon. "Oh, did either of you notice that Antonio seemed to be a little…" I trailed off, not finding the right word.

"Yes," Esme said. "I think it was because of our eyes. It tends to be a bit of a shock for humans."

"I forgot about that. I was shocked when I first met you guys, too," I replied as footsteps entered the kitchen.

"Is that boy here?" Rose's pessimistic tone sounded, announcing her and Alice's return from hunting.

"Yes, Antonio is here. Be nice to him, Rosalie. He's our guest," Esme scolded her.

"Fine," she sighed. "So is he a witchy-magical person like you two?"

"Nope," Melody replied. "He's a completely dull, normal human."

"Glad to know they still exist," Rose commented, leaning on the counter next to me. "Hmm, sounds like Antonio just beat Emmett at whatever stupid game they're playing."

The four of us smiled. We always enjoyed when Em is put in his place.

"Oh, damn it," I said suddenly as I felt a sharp pain in my finger. "I cut myself."

Rose and Esme immediately backed away from me, edging towards the doorway, their faces alarmed.

"Did I hear that you cut yourself?" Carlisle immediately appeared, of course. "Wait outside, girls," he told them, and they left the kitchen.

"It's not serious, just a little nick," I told him as he took my hand in his, examining it.

"Nothing serious at all," he agreed. "Just run it under the tap, and it'll be fine." He smiled reassuringly.

"And vampires aren't attracted to the scent of witch blood, anyway," I said, informing the vampire population in the house.

"Why are we talking about vampires?" Antonio asked from behind me, and my heart stopped for such a length of time that Carlisle stepped forward and rubbed my shoulder, trying to jolt me back from the edge.

"Gwendolyn?" he asked worriedly.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "I'm fine."

"God, are you going to pass out?" Antonio asked me, his brown eyes filled with concern.

"No, I'm good," I replied.

"Okay." Antonio didn't look convinced, but he could tell I didn't want to be pushed. "So are vampires even real? I mean, witches and warlocks are real, so are there others?"

"Vampiric folklore has been around for centuries," Carlisle said calmly. "It's possible."

Melody looked like she could throw up any minute, mirroring my feelings. "Was there something you wanted, Antonio?"

"Uh, yeah, a soda," he said, and walked towards the fridge. "May I?" he added, quickly turning to get Carlisle's permission.

"Of course," he replied.

Suddenly Alice appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Hey, what happened? Esme and

Rose-" And she broke off abruptly, her golden eyes transfixed on Antonio, and then she was gone.

"What just happened?" Antonio asked after a moment of silence.

"No idea," Carlisle murmured. "I better go check on her." He left the room to go check on his daughter.

"What's happening in here?" Emmett now appeared, Jasper behind him. "We've been hearing all sorts of messed-up stuff."

Jasper walked over to me. "Do you know what's wrong with Ali? Her emotions were…" He touched my arm, and he showed me what Alice had felt. My eyes widened in realization.

"I have to talk to her," I said. "You stay with Antonio."

He nodded, and I snuck out of the room while Melody was explaining Alice's strange habits to a very confused Antonio and an amused Emmett.

I walked upstairs and found Alice's room and knocked on the door. "Ali? Is everything okay?"

"Come in, Gwen," she replied, and I walked in to see her lying on her bed face down, Carlisle sitting next to her. "Oh, Gwen, I'm so sorry," she mumbled against the pillow.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked, sitting opposite Carlisle.

"Well, I guess we're even now," she said, lifting her head to look at me.

"Is Antonio who I think he is?"

She nodded at me. "He's my mate. I was just so shocked when I saw him, and I got this weird feeling, and I was scared, and I'm sorry!"

"Seeing our mate for the first time is always like that," Carlisle comforted her.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Remember when Jazz and I first met? It was really tense." I gave her a hug. "But he'll love you. I know he will."

"I hope so," she said. Alice was the only one in the Cullen family to not have a mate, and I knew it must be killing her.

"I'm sure he will. Antonio seems like a nice young man," Carlisle said.

Just then shouting came from downstairs, followed by hurried footsteps and a door slamming.

"What the hell?" I asked, exchanging a puzzled glance with Alice.

"Oh, no," Carlisle sighed, and I could tell he had picked something up with his super-hearing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked, jumping off the bed.

He gave me a sympathetic look. "Antonio knows."

"WHAT?"

"No, no, no!" Alice cried. "Not like this!"

The three of us ran downstairs to see Melody, Rosalie, and Jasper in the foyer, obviously waiting for us. Well, me at least.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, coming down the stairs to stand in front of a pacing Mel.

"Oh, it's all my fault!" she said. "I was talking to Rose outside the kitchen-"

"About what?" I asked, giving the blonde vampire the evil eye.

"She thought we should tell him."

"He would've found out at some point," Rose said, clearly unconcerned with what just happened. "Sooner better than later."

"And so you told him," I accused them both.

"No! No, um, Antonio walked into the hall as we were talking, and he heard us, and he freaked." Melody ran a hand through her hair. "Oh, god."

"Where's Antonio?" Alice's bell-like voice rang from the stairs.

"He ran outside, into your car. Locked himself in, since he doesn't have the keys," Jasper said, looking out the window. "And Emmett is stalking him."

"Idiot," Rose muttered.

We all ran to the window to see that he was, indeed, approaching and circling the car, crouched down, like a jungle cat eyeing its next meal.

I turned to Alice, whose eyes had gone from gold to black in a matter of seconds, and suddenly she was out the door and tackling Emmett, who was thrown several feet away from the car and onto the ground.

"What happened?" both Melody and I asked.

"Well, Antonio is Alice's mate, which elicits very animalistic instincts. Now, Emmett was threatening him, which we all know was a joke, albeit a cruel one, and Alice felt that her mate was in danger. Jasper would have done the same for you, Gwendolyn, in a similar situation, and Seth for you, Melody," Carlisle explained.

Jasper put his arm around me. "In a heartbeat. Well, maybe not one of mine," he chuckled kissed my forehead.

"I know what you mean." I hugged him.

"I better make sure Ali doesn't hurt my mate," Rose sighed and went out the door. "Even though he deserves it."

"There's no way I can get Antonio back in here. We have to leave," I said.

"I fully understand. He'll come around soon enough." Carlisle nodded.

"Don't forget this little bundle!" Esme said, appearing next to us with Tasha curled up, asleep, in her arms.

"Thanks, Esme." I carefully took the snoozing cat into my arms, cradling her against my chest. "See you guys later." And with a quick kiss from Jasper, Mel and I were heading to my car.

When I opened the door, it seemed that Antonio was about to have a stroke. "Thank god you guys are okay!"

"And thanks so much for trying to save us from the scary bloodsuckers," Mel said sarcastically. "Now get out of my seat."

Antonio scrambled into the backseat and I handed him Tasha.

"Oh my god, what have they done to her?" he asked in horror as he took the limp form from me.

"She's _sleeping_, Antonio. Do you know what 'sleep' is?" I asked.

I could tell he was really upset. "But- but- but-"

"Melody and I will explain everything to you when we get home," I said, making sure not to back over Emmett or the two pissed-off girls who were yelling at him. "The Cullens are good people."

"Although Emmett is questionable," Mel said as Rose slapped him upside the head. "This is as good a time as any, I guess," she continued. "Seth's a werewolf."

"_What?_"Antonio's voice went up four octaves.

Oh, this is going to be a _long_ day.

**A/N: As always, reviews are appreciated! ;) **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Wow, so it's been a freakishly long time since I've updated. I'd like to blame my slowly dying computer and my school work (Will it ever end?) But I'd like to say thank you to all my dedicated readers and reviewers who have not given up on me! I love you all!**

It was six o'clock in the evening and Antonio had only minimally calmed down. Both Melody and I were sitting on the sofa with him, each of us explaining every little detail of our significant vampire and werewolf.

"Antonio, the Cullens are good people," I repeated for the fiftieth time. "I mean, Isadora stayed with Carlisle and Edward for several years; they were close friends, and you know how good she was at judging a person's character."

Antonio nodded and took a sip of the tea that Mel had made him, a special blend of eucalyptus and chamomile to relieve his anxiety.

"And the pack is harmless," Melody said. "Well, to everyone except vampires."

"But they get along well," I added quickly. "As long as the Cullens don't attack a human."

"My god, I even threatened Seth the other night, and he could've ripped me in half!" Antonio whimpered.

"But Seth is a sweetheart," Melody reassured him. "He's such a gentle guy. And he would never hurt anyone who was dear to either Gwen or myself."

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I checked to see who it was: Jasper.

"I need to take this," I said, giving Antonio's knee a little pat and walking out of the sitting area and into my room.

"Jasper, what's up?" I asked.

_"How's Antonio doing?"_

"A little better. I've never seen him in this kind of shock, though. Mel and I have been talking him down from the ledge, so to speak, all afternoon."

_"I'm sorry this happened. Do you think it would be a bad idea for me to come over and try to talk with him?"_

"I'm not sure…" I trailed off, uncertain. "It may be good for him to hear you say that you won't go all Dracula on his ass."

He chuckled before allowing his tone to turn more serious._"Emmett didn't help today, did he?"_

"Ooh, not at all," I replied, a little rage bubbling up inside of me.

_"Rose and Alice wouldn't stop yelling at him all day. He's been curled up in the corner of his room." _Jazz was clearly amused.

"Remind me never to make those two mad," I laughed.

_"So do I have the green light for talking to my new brother?"_ he asked, and I remembered that Tonio was now going to be a member of the Cullen family, now that he was Alice's mater.

"Of course," I replied.

_"Good. I'm actually right outside the apartment door. Alice told me you'd say yes," _he chuckled.

"That damn Alice. I'll let you in now," I told him, and closed my phone. No sooner had I done that that there was a knock on the door. I ran back into the main area of the apartment and opened the door, letting Jasper in.

"Hello, Gwendolyn," he said, smiling.

I took his hand and pulled him inside the apartment. Antonio leaned closer to Melody when Jasper entered, but Jasper didn't take offense. He sat in the little armchair that was catty-corner to the sofa; I sat on the armrest, Jasper's arm naturally encircling my waist.

"Antonio, I won't hurt you," he assured my friend. "Gwendolyn didn't hurt you when you found out that she was a witch, or Melody, or Isadora."

"Perhaps witchcraft is more believable than vampirism?" I offered. "I mean, vampires are the living dead, after all."

"And we do drink blood, but it doesn't have to be from humans," Jasper explained.

"It could be that Antonio's instincts are more heightened than a normal human's," I suggested, "and thus they're warning him of predators." Jasper and I were basically having this discussion by ourselves, trying not only to understand what was going on in Antonio's mind, but also showing him how well Jazz and I worked together.

"And the pack only phases when they're on patrol," Melody put in. "Or if they…lose…control, like get really angry, but that's so rare! You're perfectly safe around them!"

"You hung out in a house full of vampires today, and you didn't get hurt," Jasper pointed out.

"Well, not physically," I muttered so that only Jazz could hear. "Psychologically…"

He gave a quiet laugh and pulled me into his lap; I gave a surprised squeal while Antonio's brown eyes widened. It was then that I realized what Jasper was doing.

"See, Tonio? Jasper and I can be together and act just like a normal couple without him hurting me." I kissed Jasper's cheek. "Nothing to be afraid of."

"The same goes for me and Seth," Melody said. "Just because he can turn into a wolf doesn't mean that I'm not safe with him."

Antonio was quietly contemplating all this, and I could feel Jasper just slightly manipulating his emotions, taking the edge off of his nerves.

"If Gwendolyn and Melody trust you," he said slowly after a few minutes of silence, "then I guess I do, too."

Jasper smiled and reached out his hand, which Antonio hesitantly shook. "A friend of Gwen's is a friend of mine," he said. "And I really hope that we can be friends."

Antonio nodded, and Melody squealed with joy. "Oh, this is so sweet! Oh, I wish Seth were here-!"

"Mel, shut up!" the three of us shouted, then laughed.

"Well, I think I should go," Jasper said, picking me up and placing me on the chair where he had been sitting. "Oh, Alice has invited you guys over for tomorrow," he said, and I immediately knew what this was about. You didn't have to be a future-seeing pixie in order to know that Alice was trying to get some bonding time with her new beau, and both Mel and I shared a knowing look.

"Are you up for it, Antonio?" Jazz asked. "And don't worry- we won't be offended if you say no."

Antonio's reply was hesitant. "I think I need a few days to wrap my head around all of this." Mel squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"Totally understandable. Take as long as you need. And when you do decide to come over, don't worry- Rosalie isn't letting Emmett out of her sight." Jasper said good-bye to Antonio and Melody, and with a quick kiss to me, he made his exit.

The next day I headed over to the Cullen house by myself; Melody had invited Seth over to the apartment so he and Tonio could get properly acquainted. Poor Antonio- this was harder for him to handle than learning about us witches, especially since he's a vampire's mate.

"Hey, darlin'. You look lost in thought," Jasper said as he greeted me at the door.

"No kidding. For the past twenty-four hours I've had to comfort my best friend over the existence of creatures of the night. It's a hell of a job."

Jasper wasted no time lifting me up into his arms. "It sounds like you could use some relaxation," he said with a smile.

"Hold up. Tasha is in my purse." I maneuvered the bag off of my shoulder and gently lowered it to the ground, letting a ruffled cat out. She glared at me for a moment before licking down her fur. "Hey, don't give me that look! I didn't know he was going to do that!"

She replied with a flick of her tail and turned her back on us, ears pricked in the direction of the kitchen, no doubt looking for Esme.

"She and Carlisle are going to be gone for a while," Jazz said. "They're out hunting."

Tasha's tail drooped at the news, and she stalked off down the hallway to explore.

"Well, now that we're alone..." Jasper trailed off suggestively, and at the speed of light he ran me upstairs and into his bedroom, dumping me gently, but unceremoniously, on his bed.

I laughed. "That wasn't very nice!"

He sat next to me on the bed and kissed my cheek. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart," he whispered in my ear, his southern accent more pronounced than ever.

I quickly turned and captured his mouth with mine, and he kissed me back eagerly. I laced my fingers through his hair, and he gently pushed me back on the bed so that he was hovering over me. I instinctively hooked one of my legs over his hip, and he quietly growled, a sound that came from deep in his chest.

"God, I love it when you do that," I sighed, our lips parting for a moment so that I could get a much-appreciated gulp of air.

Jasper smirked. "Only you can cause it."

I smirked back and we resumed our kissing, all thoughts of interruptions forgotten, which was unfortunate because Jasper had not locked his door.

"HELLO, LOVERS!" an unwelcome voice crowed as the door banged open, and I gave a very unflattering squeal of fright.

"Holy hell, Em, get out of here!" Jasper hissed, his annoyance quite evident. Not as evident as my embarrassment, though, especially since Jasper was not moving from his position, which was his body pinning me to his bed.

"Make me," Emmett said, daring Jasper to do something.

Jasper growled, his eyes darkening, and thank god Rosalie stepped in. "Emmett McCarty Cullen, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jasper relaxed at Rose's berating her husband, and he suddenly gained enough sense to get off of me. "I'm really sorry, Gwendolyn," he said apologetically.

"That's okay," I said, trying to compose myself; I smoothed down my shirt and willed away the intense blush of my cheeks. "Absolutely okay."

After getting quite the tongue-lashing from Rose, Emmett slinked down the hallway and she turned her attention to us. "What he was supposed to do was to _politely_ tell you both that we have Edward and Bella on Skype right now, if you want to talk."

Jasper immediately picked up on my sudden excitement and he took my hand. "Sounds like fun."

Truth be told, I hadn't actually seen Bella since Edward had to turn her. Jasper and I had gone to my house after the incident and the newlyweds moved to Denali to spend time with their "cousins" and to let Bella transition into her new life. We had been emailing each other frequently: I told her about the gang here and how everyone was doing, what Emmett got in trouble for, etc., and she told me about how beautiful Alaska was and how easy the transition was going for her, much to everyone's shock. But emailing her was not seeing her, and now I could see that she really was okay, that I hadn't ended her life for good.

Edward and Bella smiled warmly at Jasper and I when we sat in front of the webcam. I took in Bella's new appearance: she looked the same, but at the same time she was different. Her hair seemed shinier, and her skin would be better described as snow white rather than pale. But her eyes were completely different: they were no longer brown, but red. Hers weren't the pure crimson color as Jasper had told me all newborns have; they were a diluted red, all thanks to her vegetarian diet. In a few more months they would be gold.

"Hi, Gwendolyn. Jasper. It's good to see you guys again," Edward greeted us.

"It's good to see you guys, too, although we really don't miss your mind-reading," Jasper said jokingly.

"That's what I said!" Emmett suddenly yelled from somewhere in the house, and immediately after there came a yelp of pain.

All four of us laughed and we all seemed to relax more. I could tell that Edward was holding Bella's hand out of sight of the webcam and Jasper put his arm around me.

"So you really like Alaska?" I asked Bella, wanting to converse with her.

"I love it here," Bella said, and I was shocked at how...musical her voice was. I guess that's part of the change. "But I really miss home," she continued.

"Does, um, Charlie know?" I asked, not sure if they wanted to burden her father with supernatural knowledge.

"Not yet. But we've talked on the phone and he's noticed a difference," she admitted. "When we get back, I'll try to explain it to him."

"Carlisle has promised to help with that," Edward said. "Charlie still doesn't like me, but he respects my father."

I couldn't imagine anyone not liking Edward. He was certainly better behaved than Emmett and he had a more friendly disposition towards strangers than my Jasper did. He was a sweet guy.

The four of us talked for the next twenty minutes or so about everything and anything, from the members of the Denali coven to Seth and Melody. I even told them about Antonio, and Jasper was the one who revealed that he's Alice's mate. Bella and Edward's faces lit up.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Bella said excitedly. "I was so worried about her that I was going to invite her up here for a few weeks."

"But, love, there aren't any malls around here," Edward countered, "she'd be miserable and would try to turn you into her own Barbie doll again!"

I laughed, but I knew too well what Ali was capable of. "I'm sure Antonio will come around soon. We made a lot of progress with him last night."

"And Alice is desperate not to do anything that would scare him," Jazz said. "She's even going hunting every day to make sure she's completely under control."

"Well, we'll all make sure that Antonio feels welcome," Edward said. "And if we don't, Alice will certainly make sure to straighten us out."

We all laughed; that little pixie could pack quite a punch when she wanted to.

"Oh, Gwen," Bella suddenly asked, "There's a present at the house for Sam and Emily. Could you please give it to them on Saturday?"

"Um, sure," I replied, not knowing what she was talking about.

Bella quickly picked up on this. "Oh! Jake hasn't told you yet. The engagement party has finally been scheduled."

"Again," Edward added.

"We talked last night and I told him how sorry I was that I couldn't come." Her tone grew sad; Bella wouldn't be able to set foot in La Push again.

"I will definitely give them the present," I promised her, knowing how much her friends on the rez meant to her.

"Thank you, Gwendolyn!" Her expression brightened, and I hoped that she and Edward would return to Forks soon; there was a void in the house that they filled perfectly.

"I think we better go," Edward said suddenly, his focus turned off-camera. "The wind's picking up."

"Oh, not another storm!" Bella sighed exasperatedly. "The Internet will be knocked out again."

"Well, take care," Jasper said. "Love you, guys."

"Come home soon," I said with a hint of longing.

"As soon as we can," Bella said. "And Gwendolyn, thank you for everything."

And then the connection was lost, leaving Jazz and I staring at the blank monitor.

"She really is okay, darlin'. They both are," Jasper said, holding me closer to him.

I clutched his shirt, letting my emotions speak for me rather than my words. I was relieved to see them both acting like...well, like Bella and Edward. Like nothing had happened. And it allowed me to finally let go of that remaining guilt that had mercilessly clung to me.

"Jasper, can we go somewhere more private?" I had just realized there was something important that we needed to discuss.

"Of course, Gwen. Follow me." And with that, he took my hand and led me out of Rose and Emmett's bedroom and down the hall into Carlisle's study.

"It's soundproof," he explained, and I recalled the last time I was in this room: Carlisle had told me about his friendship with Isadora. And Bella had taken the potion here just minutes earlier, not knowing that that would seal her fate.

"Carlisle won't mind us being in here without his permission?" I asked, walking towards the window and looking out over the forest, where he and Esme were somewhere hunting.

"Unless he tells us otherwise, we're always allowed to come in here and talk," Jasper informed me. "It's more convenient to use this office than go outside when we need a private moment. Which brings me to the question," he said, pulling out a chair for me, "why are we here?"

I sat down and was glad when Jasper sat in the chair next to me. "I want you to turn me, Jazz." His mouth opened in protest, but I covered it with my hand. "Let me finish. If I'm in danger of dying, turn me."

His body relaxed, and he took my hand in his, pulling it ever so slightly away from his mouth. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "It's something we won't have to worry about for quite a while, seeing as I don't age that fast, but just in case."

He held me hand tighter and gently kissed my knuckles. "Okay. I'll turn you."

**A/N: No promises about when I'll update. My goal is sometime before Halloween, but that is a goal, not a promise. Show Jasper some love- please review! :)  
**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: So sorry it took so long to get this out! Hopefully with Christmas break coming up, I'll be able to get the next few chapters out. THAT'S when the real action starts!**

**Enjoy!  
**

After our private discussion, Jasper and I retreated back into the sanctuary of his room, and we settled on his bed with his volume of Poe's works; I was sitting cross-legged with the enormous book in my lap, Jasper half-sitting, half-lying behind me. He watched my hands as I flipped the pages, my eyes briefly scanning the words as I looked for one of my favorites. When my hands finally stilled at the edges of the open pages, Jasper said approvingly, "_Annabel Lee._"

I smiled and began to recite it. "_It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, that a maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee-_"

"_And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me_," Jasper whispered in my ear. "_She was a child and I was a child, in this kingdom by the sea, but we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee- With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven coveted her and me._"

"_And this was the reason that, long ago, in this kingdom by the sea, a wind blew out of a cloud by night chilling my Annabel Lee; so that her high-born kinsmen came and bore her away from me, to shut her up in a sepulcher in this kingdom by the sea._" I leaned back into Jasper as I read that line, a strange chill running through me.

"_The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, went envying her and me; Yes! that was the reason (as all men know, in this kingdom by the sea) that the wind came out of the cloud, chilling and killing me Annabel Lee._" Jasper's perfect voice faltered a bit as he said the last part; whether my emotions were influencing him, I didn't know, but I kept reciting, our fingers intertwined.

"_But our love was stronger by far than the love of those who were older than we- of many far wiser than we-_"

"_And neither the angels in Heaven above or the demons down under the sea can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee_." Jasper nuzzled my hair, projecting his love for me.

I opened my mouth to say the final stanza but my phone rang. Barely changing my position, Jasper got off the bed, retrieved my purse from the other side of the room, and was back at my side, my phone in his hand, at lightning speed. I looked at the caller ID: Antonio.

"Hey, Tonio, what's up?" I asked, answering my cell.

"Well, Melody wants to me to hang out with you and the, uh, the Cullens tonight," he said, not really thrilled with the idea.

"And why does she want you to come over here?" I asked.

"Well, Seth was over-"

"Ok then! No further explanation needed," I interrupted, lightly giving Jazz a shove when I saw him silently shaking with laughter. "I'll just ask if it's okay-"

"YES! HE CAN COME OVER!" I heard a very excited pixie shout from downstairs. "ESME WILL MAKE YOU GUYS DINNER!"

"Well, it seems like you can come over," I told him, trying to stifle my own laughter; Jasper wasn't even trying to hold his emotions back. "So I'll see you shortly!"

"See ya, Gwen," he replied, before ending the call.

I tossed my phone aside and Jasper and I rolled on his bed with laughter. "This is going to be one hell of an evening, isn't it?" I asked through giggles.

"_Very_ interesting," he replied. "I don't think Alice has ever been this excited. Not even when she was planning Edward and Bella's wedding!"

I wiped some tears from my eyes. "Poor Antonio still sounds terrified!"

Jasper's face lit up with a realization. "Hey, Ali," he said, his voice not rising in volume, "Where's Emmett?"

"OH MY GOD! EMMETT MCCARTY CULLEN, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!" Alice's shrill voice resounded through the house, and Jasper and I lost it again.

"Why do I have to leave?" Emmett's voice sounded from down the hall.

"Because you're going to scare her mate away, _again_," Rose growled. We could tell she was practically dragging her husband down the stairs and out the door.

"Ah, Carlisle and Esme are back," Jasper said, head cocked to the side, obviously listening downstairs. "Perhaps we should help Esme with dinner."

I nodded and we walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Alice was flitting back and forth between the cabinets and stove, the poster-child for wanting to make a good impression.

"Calm down, Ali," Jasper said, taking her hand, and she immediately did.

"Jazz," she whined, looking towards the food that Esme was preparing.

"Alice, he's right," she said in her motherly way. "Go upstairs and relax; you're getting yourself all wound-up."

"He will _love_ you," I told her, giving her hug. "I should know. I dated him long enough."

She gave a nervous laugh and said, "Really?"

I smiled reassuringly. "We've got everything handled down here. Just sound the warning bell when he arrives."

She gave a big smile before disappearing out of the room.

"It's not like she can cook, anyway," Jasper whispered to me with a smirk.

"I heard that!" Alice shouted from her room.

"Are you sure you'll be fine, Esme?" I asked, Jasper and I heading towards the sound of the ringing front door.

"Gwen, it won't take much longer now. You two were a great deal of help," Esme said.

"Hey, what about me?" Carlisle asked, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. "I helped."

"Of course you did, dear," she said sweetly, giving us a quick wink.

Tasha jumped onto the counter where the potatoes au gratin where sitting and gave Esme a little mew, almost standing on her back feet to get her attention.

"Well, you were a big help, too," she cooed, giving the cat a scratch behind her ears.

Jazz and I exchanged a smile and headed to the foyer, where he ran ahead of me to open the door. Antonio stood on the porch, shifting his weight from side to side, clearly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Antonio. Come on in," Jazz welcomed him, stepping aside.

My friend took a backward glance at the car pulling out of the driveway, and I heard Melody shout, "BE BRAVE, ANTONIO! THEY'LL ONLY BITE IF THEY SMELL FEAR!"

Poor Tonio paled while Jasper and I laughed. Seeing that now he was frozen to the porch, I grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. Jasper closed the door behind him and sent a wave of calm throughout the room. I tried my best to send a wave of appreciation to him.

"So..." Antonio said. "This should be...fun."

"Emmett's not here. Rosalie made him go hunting," Jasper told him. "He's the only scary one, but that's because he's a complete bastard."

I giggled. "He's a teddy bear at heart. Really."

"Uh-huh." Antonio didn't sound convinced.

"He really is!" Alice suddenly appeared in front of us, causing Antonio to jump. "Oh! I didn't mean to startle you!" she apologized earnestly. "I'm Alice. We weren't able to be properly introduced yesterday."

"Hi," he said in reply. He watched her warily as she bounced slightly in her enthusiasm at meeting her mate.

"We're going to be great friends," she assured him. "Now come on- it's time for dinner."

Antonio gave me a quick look, his brown eyes wide. I smacked his arm.

"Honestly, Antonio? I should glue you to the ceiling for that thought!" I reprimanded him.

"We all pitched in to help cook you _humans_ a normal dinner," Jasper said. "Now hurry up before Ali has an aneurysm." He lowered his voice so that only me and Alice picked up on that last bit.

Alice stuck her tongue out at him and took Antonio's hand. "C'mon- the dining room's this way."

I was shocked by her forwardness and was afraid that Antonio was going to try to take his hand back, but, although his brown eyes held some alarm, he allowed her to hold his hand. Jasper and I gave each other a triumphant grin and he kissed my forehead, his arm encompassing my waist.

When we entered the dining room, the food was already laying out on the table. Jasper took the seat next to me, and Tonio sat across from me, Alice next to him. Carlisle and Esme joined our little party, wanting to know more about Alice's mate.

Antonio looked a little doubtfully at the food, and I couldn't blame him: who knew vampires could actually prepare a meal that didn't consist of blood? But I immediately dug in to my plate, knowing just how fantastic Esme's food always was, and he followed suit, pleasantly surprised.

After that, the six of us made small talk, Antonio and I talking about our high school days, Carlisle and Esme talking about some of their favorite vacation spots, and Antonio saying whether he had had the chance to take photographs of them. He really did have an unique occupation: free trips around the world to take photos, and he really was talented with a camera. After I had graduated from college, I became Grandmother's apprentice again, like I was in high school, only she was entrusting me with the more complicated and potentially catastrophic spells.

"Like the 'Run-for-the-hills-she's-gonna-blow' spells?" Antonio asked playfully while eating a piece of chocolate cake.

"Mm. You would know," I replied. "I've used quite a few on you."

Everyone chuckled while Antonio pouted. "Let's not talk about how many times you've kicked my ass."

I laughed but changed the subject for his sake. "How was your little conversation with Seth today?" I asked.

"Well, after ten minutes of me profusely apologizing for that little stunt the other night, he put his arm around my shoulder and called me 'brother.'"

All the girls present went, "Aww!" while Jazz and Carlisle looked amused by our shared reaction.

"He's a pretty cool dude," Antonio said. "I think he's a good fit for Melody. Even though he is a..." He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"A mutt," Alice said shortly, but glanced up at Tonio and her tone softened. "Not that that's a bad thing. There are certainly worse guys to be with."

"And do you really think these Grayson Girls could settle with anything that's not strange?" Jasper asked, helping Alice out.

"Good point," Antonio agreed. "That's why we didn't work out." He looked up at me. "I was too normal for you to handle!"

I laughed. "You are anything but normal, Tonio."

Just then the vampires stiffened a bit, obviously sensing something us humans couldn't. I heard Tasha hiss from somewhere under the table. Antonio looked at me worriedly, and I turned to Jasper. "What's wrong?"

"Jacob's here," Carlisle replied.

He had to be here to see me. "Ok then." I got up from the table. "Antonio, wanna meet Jake?"

"Um, do I?"

"Yes, you do."

He looked unsure, and Alice looked a little upset that I was taking her mate away to meet one of her "enemies." Once I had ushered him out of the room and on the path to the backdoor, I promised her, "I'll bring him back safe and sound."

Sure enough, there was Jacob Black, standing on the back porch in all his shirtless glory.

"You really can't carry around a shirt with you?" I asked exasperatedly, but at least he had the body to work that look.

"It's a pain carrying shorts around." He gestured to the beat-up denim shorts he was wearing. "So who's this guy?"

"Jacob, this is Antonio Smith. We went to high school together. Tonio, this is Jacob Black," I introduced them.

"Are you a normal human or a witchy human?" Jake asked.

"He's normal," I answered for him.

"Why do all mythical creatures have to look like models?" Antonio sighed.

Jake laughed and I said, "You think I look like a model?" in my best flattered girly voice, batting my eyelashes and twirling a strand of hair; I couldn't keep a straight face for long. Some distant laughter floated towards us from the woods, no doubt from Emmett. Antonio looked down in embarrassment.

"Anyway, Jake, why are you here?" I asked, wanting to spare Antonio's dignity, or what remained of it.

"The engagement party is back on."

"This Saturday, right? Bella told me earlier; we were video-chatting," I added when he looked at my confusedly.

He nodded. "Well, I'm just reiterating the fact that your invitation stands. And he can come, too, if he wants." He gestured to Tonio.

"Really?" he asked, not sure whether to be flattered or scared.

"La Push is really quite gorgeous," I told him. "Or at least that's what Melody has told me; I haven't been there yet myself."

"Sorry about that," Jake said. "It's been a rough few months. Not a lot of time for tours."

I nodded understandingly. "Antonio here is quite the photographer. Up for a few photos?"

"Sure," he replied, and I knew that his passion for his camera would conquer any remaining fear.

"I should probably get going," Jake said, turning to leave. "It was good to see you again, Gwendolyn. Nice to meet you, Antonio," he added.

"Same here."

"Bye, Jake. See you Saturday!" I called after him as he started running towards the woods and then suddenly phased into his wolf form, a sudden explosion of red fur.

I heard Antonio make a little squeak and saw that his jaw basically hit the floor.

I couldn't help myself; his bewildered expression was just too funny. I started laughing really hard, and that seemed to snap him out of it.

"Shut up, Gwendolyn," he said, walking back into the house, his cheeks starting to burn.

"Love you, too," I replied, still chuckling.

Antonio and I stayed for a couple more hours before I drove him back to Melody's apartment. Well, actually Jasper drove us, saying that it was too dark for our weak human eyesight. Cue eye-roll. But by the end of the night, Antonio seemed a bit more relaxed around the Cullens, and Alice was ecstatic that he was warming up to them, especially her. He even returned her goodbye hug, though I think Jasper played his part in helping that exchange go down.

When we got back to the apartment, I was shocked to see that Mel was there.

"I thought you were spending the night at Seth's," I said, releasing Tasha from my purse; she bounded happily onto the sofa and curled up on Antonio's bedding.

"So did I, but Leah kicked me out." She pouted. "She's really upset about Sam and Emily. I think this is the hardest it's hit her."

"Someone is going to have to explain this paw-printing thing to me again," Antonio said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"It's _imprinting_," Melody corrected. "And I will later. I'm too tired to think straight."

"I wonder why," Jasper breathed in my ear, and I had to bite my tongue in order to stifle the sudden laugh.

He kissed my cheek. "I should get going."

"Must you leave?" I asked, wrapping my arms around him.

"Cut the crap," Mel said suddenly. "We all know that he's going to leave through the front door and in four seconds will be climbing through your bedroom window only to leave before anyone knows of his presence in the morning."

"You do that?" Antonio asked, turning around in his chair.

"Okay, so _most_ of us present know," Mel corrected herself. "This isn't high school; you two don't have to sneak around. God knows Seth and I don't." She smirked.

"Alrighty then. Good night, Mel. Good night, Antonio. Come on, Jazz." I took his hand and led him down the hall and into my bedroom. Once inside the room, I locked the door, and Jasper pressed me against it, his lips hovering inches from mine.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too." I caught his lips with mine.

It was one of our more passionate kisses. My arms hooked around his neck, and he lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around him. I gave a quiet moan when he projected some of his lust onto me, and then we were on my bed. My heart was jumping out of my chest when Jasper broke the kiss, allowing me to take in much-needed oxygen, and he laid his head by the base of my neck, listening to it beat.

"Jazz," I whispered. His golden orbs met my green ones. "I want you."

He gave me a crooked smile. "Darlin', I want you, too, but I need to make sure that I won't hurt you."

"You haven't hurt me yet," I pointed out.

"True, but," he said, one of his hands trailing down my side, causing me to shiver from anything but the coolness of his skin, "I could easily lose control."

"You won't," I persisted, running my fingers through his hair lazily.

"But I might." He quickly changed positions so that he was pinning me to the bed, his perfect face aligned with mine.

"But you won't." My gaze challenged him.

"Mm, but I might." He was clearly enjoying this game, amusement shining in his topaz eyes.

"You would never hurt me," I told him, trying to free my arms from his steel grip.

"But would you really want your cousin and your ex to hear us?" he asked, and that's where he had me.

"Damn it," I sighed in defeat.

He chuckled, and changed positions once more so that I was curled against his chest, his arms holding me tightly to him.

"One day, Mr. Whitlock," I vowed, lightly tracing the scars that were above the collar of his shirt.

"Soon, Ms. Grayson," he replied, his breath ruffling a few strands of my hair. "I really can't keep my hands to myself around you."

I laughed, and he kissed me chastely. "Go to sleep, darlin'."

A wave of lethargy came over me, and I was soon fast asleep in my vampire's arms.

**A/N: Please review! 3**

**Oh, and I'm planning on writing a Bella/Jasper New Year's Eve oneshot, so for all you fellow Bellsper fans, keep an eye out! ;)**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I ****wanted to get the next chapter out for all of my lovely readers! You deserve it!**

The day of the long-awaited engagement party came quickly. Alice had picked out the dresses that Melody and I were going to wear: Mel's was a knee-length pale gold dress with a modest neckline, and mine was dark green (in order to bring out my eyes) and long sleeves that ended with ruffles. The dress code was semi-formal, and our outfits held the right amount of comfort and elegance.

Antonio was dressed in a white button and navy tie, his camera on a strap around his neck. He beamed as he saw Melody and I come out of our rooms. "You girls look beautiful," he said.

"Thanks, Tonio." Mel smiled. "You look quite handsome yourself."

"Indeed," I agreed. "Ready to party with some wolves?"

"They won't actually be in their wolf forms, will they?" he asked uncertainly.

"Of course not! Although those pictures would win you some awards," she said with a wink. "But seriously, no pics of the giant wolves."

"Just like no pics of the sparkling vampires," I reminded him.

"Right. Only scenery." He smiled. "I can't wait to get a picture of an ocean sunset."

"Well, come on, then!" Mel cried, and grabbed her purse with one hand and his arm with her other. "It starts in an hour!"

"Cullens first!" I reminded them. "I need Bella's present."

Tasha came running over to me, giving a little meow.

"And you need a babysitter, don't you?" I asked her, scooping her up in my arms. "Sorry that my purse isn't big enough for you."

"Let's go!" Mel shoved us all out the door.

When my Mustang pulled up in front of the Cullen house, I turned to Antonio. "You know you can stay in the car if you want. This'll only take a second."

"No, that's okay," he said, surprising me. "It wouldn't hurt to say hi to everyone."

"You could say hi from out here and they would still hear you," Melody pointed out. "They can actually hear this entire conversation..."

"All right, Mel, get out of the car!" I ordered, and the three of us made our way to the front door, Tasha deciding to lay across my shoulders.

"I can't believe you're not the least concerned about falling," I told her, turning my head ever so slightly to catch her eye. "My shoulders aren't the best place for a nap."

"Au contraire," a southern drawl replied, and I saw to my delight that Jasper stood at the door. "I think you're shoulders are an excellent place for a nap."

"Silly, you can't sleep," I teased as I gave him a quick kiss.

"I can try," he replied with a smile.

Alice appeared next to us. "Hi, Gwen! Hi, Mel! Hi, Antonio!" She was holding a gift-wrapped box. "This is the gift. Oh, I knew you would look good in those dresses! Jasper, doesn't Gwendolyn look gorgeous?" she pressed him.

"She always looks gorgeous," he said, and I blushed.

"You always look gorgeous, too, Jazzy," Emmett boomed from upstairs, and then in a blur he rushed down the stairs to stand with us.

"Very funny, Em," Jasper said with a roll of his eyes.

"I thought so." He then turned to look at Antonio. "Well you look quite _dashing_. Doesn't he look _dashing_, Alice?" he inquired with one of his signature Emmett smirks.

If Alice could've blushed, she would have. She shoved the gift into my hands and turned to look at her behemoth of a brother, her golden eyes on fire. He actually cowered a little.

"I think Rose is calling for me," he said quickly. "I'm coming, Rosie!" And he was gone.

"Have fun tonight," she told us, her eyes softening. "And be careful!" With a smile that seemed to be just for Antonio, she dashed off, probably to kick Emmett's ass.

"Your family is...interesting," Antonio told Jasper.

"That's everyone's first impression," Melody told him. "Wait 'til you meet the pack!"

"Now, you and Seth aren't going to be sneaking off anywhere, right?" I tried to use my best parental tone. "You'll behave yourselves?"

"Hey, I'm just taking a walk on the wild side with my wolf!" she defended.

An answering howl echoed from somewhere in the house, followed by, "Ow! Damn it, Alice! I'm sorry!"

The four of us smiled, and Tasha purred her amusement.

"I will take _that_," Jazz said, carefully picking Tasha up from my shoulders. "And you guys have a good time." Tasha jumped out of his arms and raced to where she knew Esme would be waiting for her.

"We will!" Melody said excitedly. "Bye!"

Antonio gave him a little wave before walking out behind Mel. I lingered for a moment, giving Jasper a hug.

"I'll try not to smell too much like a dog when I get back," I promised him.

He chuckled. "I think your Gwendolyn-scent will overpower it."

"Mm. Love you."

"Love you, too." He kissed me. "Now hurry up and go join your friends. Melody's excitement is reaching an all-time high."

I had to let Melody drive my precious car because she was the only one who knew how to get to La Push and where the heck the Clearwater house was, which was where everyone was gathering before going down to the beach. It was small like most of the houses on the rez, but it looked quite cozy. I immediately saw Seth coming towards the car as Mel pulled in.

"Hey, there," he greeted. "Bout time you showed up."

"Shush, we're not late," Melody chided him. The three of us exited the car, and Seth let us into the house. "Everyone's out back. They're quite eager to meet you, Gwen," he noted. "Melody and Jake keep talking about how advanced your powers are."

"Really?" I asked her. "You're on the same level as me."

She scoffed. "You were with Isadora 24/7 for _how_ many years? You definitely are more skilled than me."

"I am really starting to feel like a fish out of water," Antonio commented. "Am I the only normal person here?"

Seth shook his head. "There are normal humans here. They've been imprinted on," he added.

I could tell Antonio was trying to recall Mel's cram-session of the basics of imprinting as we walked through the Clearwater residence to the backyard. The yard was full of people, from the tribe elders to toddlers running around. And of course you could easily spot who could turn into a wolf: their shirts did nothing to conceal the muscle that laid beneath.

"Gwendolyn!" a familiar voice shouted, and I saw Jacob running over to us. "Glad you made it. Hey, Mel, Antonio."

"No way! This is the other witch?" Another guy came over to us. "Embry Call, at your service."

"Hey, Em, why don't you take these gifts," he took Bella's out of my hands and Mel's as well, "and put them with the others?"

"Fine," he replied. "But when I come back, I want to see some magic!"

"He turns into a giant wolf, why the hell would he be interested in seeing some floating fruit?" Antonio asked.

"I always threaten the guys if they start bugging my Melody," Seth said. "However, Gwendolyn, seeing as you have no protector here-"

"_I_ will be her protector," Jacob said. "If they start getting on your nerves, just call me over and I'll beat them up."

"Thanks, Jake. Hey, Mel, wanna get something to eat?" I gestured towards the snack table.

"Sure," she replied. "Stay here and keep Antonio company," she ordered Seth.

"Can't I come with you?" he asked us.

"No!" we shouted over our shoulders as we walked away. We had some things to discuss.

"Ok, so I have it in my purse," I whispered to her, hoping that the general noise of the screaming children and the music would prevent any with canine hearing from hearing us. "So all we have to-" I lost my train of thought for a moment as I came face-to-face with a monstrosity of the baked-goods world. "Those are some huge-ass muffins." I picked one up; it was bigger than my hand.

"They're Emily's specialty." Melody shrugged, obviously having seen them before. "So all we have to do is pour the potion into Jake and Leah's drinks, right?"

"Yeah," I said, putting the muffin down. "I divided it into two vials. I figured you'd be able to get closer to Leah than I would." I opened my clutch and performed a simple transportation spell; I could tell that Melody's little beaded bag got a little heavier.

"Right then." She smiled deviously. "I'm off to mingle with Seth and his evil sister, and you are to entertain the masses with your sorcery." She winked as she walked away.

I looked at the table in front of me and noticed the punch bowl and the cups beside them. An idea popped into my head. I quickly filled three cups with the drink and tried to subtly take the vial out of my purse; a quick look around showed that no one was watching. I popped the top off of it and poured the entire thing into one of the cups. Now came the hard part: making sure Jacob got the right cup. With a wave of my hand, the three cups floated in front of me, and I walked behind them, propelling them forward with each step. I could hear some whoops of excitement as the guys saw what I was doing, and I rolled my eyes at them, finally getting back to where Jacob and Antonio were talking.

"I got us some drinks," I said, gesturing to the cups now floating in front of them.

"Thanks, Gwen," Antonio said, snatching his out of the air.

"You didn't have to serve us," Jacob said, but he raised his cup in thanks, taking a sip. _Yes_.

I took mine and noticed that Embry and several guys were walking towards us, huge smiles plastered on their faces.

"Quite a trick," he said. "What else can you do?"

"Nothing extraordinary. Levitation, some simple transportation, paralyze a werewolf," I said nonchalantly.

"No, you can't!" One of the other guys spoke up.

"Paul, I have first-hand experience in that area," Jake said. "She definitely can."

"Prove it," he challenged.

I looked to Jake for permission; I knew Paul was the one that had an anger management problem, but Jake gave me the thumbs-up. So I mustered up as much power as I could and sent it at Paul. He totally was not expecting it to hit him as hard as it did. He flew back several feet and fell to a heap on the ground, completely immobile. I walked over to him, a crowd forming around us. "Now do you believe?"

His eyes said he did, so I let up on the spell. He got up stiffly and flexed his muscles. "Damn, that was weird!"

Everyone laughed, and Embry and another guy named Jared patted him on the shoulder.

"I guess there _are_ some people who actually need to touch the fire to see if it's hot," Antonio mused from beside me.

"Nice job," Jacob said. "If only I had that power...Paul wouldn't be such a problem."

I looked at him, trying to see if the potion had taken hold; I didn't notice anything. Maybe I needed to find Leah. "Hey, have you guys seen Seth and Mel?"

"They went inside," Jake informed me.

I nodded. "I'll be right back."

I walked into the house and heard some shouting come from one of the hallways. I started to walk towards it, and found Seth and Melody being ushered out of a closet by a woman.

"Oh god," I sighed. Seth's head picked up; he had heard me.

"I'm so sorry," I said, coming closer to the group. "I take full responsibility for _this_ one." I took Melody's arm.

"Yeah, well I take full responsibility for him," the woman responded. "He is my cousin."

"Oh! You're Emily," I realized. I hated to say that the reason I hadn't recognized her before was because the scarred part of her face was turned away from me. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you," she responded kindly. "Sam is a wonderful man. But it's so good to meet you! Melody and Seth have only had the nicest things to say." She shook my hand, and she was now turned fully to me. It was hard to believe that in one moment of rage Sam had given her those scars.

"It's nice to meet you, too." I turned my attention to Mel. "I thought you were going to behave!"

"We just have raging hormones and an overwhelming passion for each other!" Melody defended her and Seth.

"Well, so do Jasper and I!" I told her. "But at least we have some self-control!"

"At least I get some on the weekends," she said, laughing.

"So you're a vampire girl like Bella." Emily changed the subject. It was a statement, not a question.

I nodded timidly, not sure what her views were on the Cullens, let alone Jasper.

"It's always nice to have some variety in a family tree," she said with a smile. "Werewolves, witches, and now vampires, thanks to you."

We suddenly heard some shouting come from outside, then some cheers. "Looks like the party's moving," Seth told us, who didn't have his keen sense of hearing.

"I better find Sam. We'll talk again later," Emily said before walking away.

"Where's Leah?" I asked Melody.

"Taken care of," she said matter-of-factly.

"What are you two talking about?" Seth asked.

"I'll inform you later, babe." Mel kissed his cheek. "Now let's get back to the party!"

"You two go ahead. I think I left my phone in the car." It wasn't in my bag.

"Okay. Come on, Seth- we need to find Antonio."

We parted ways, and I headed out the front door, towards my car. I suddenly heard some cries of surprise and panic, and growling. A lot of growling. I spun around just in time to see two great wolves chasing each other around the side of the house, one russet-colored and one grey-colored and considerably smaller.

It was then that time seemed to slow for me: I saw the wolves, running, wrestling, teeth flashing, then I heard someone shout something indistinctly, and then I knew the ground. A huge weight had fallen on me, and my shield was just a millisecond too late to protect me from being crushed. I felt the weight be thrown off by my shield, and it landed a few feet away, the ground trembling. My vision became unfocused as the pain coursed through my broken body, but through the haze I saw the two fighting wolves.

But they weren't fighting like they were in my dream all those months ago: they were playing.

They were _flirting_.

They were Jacob and Leah.

**A/N: One hell of a cliffhanger, is it not? Sorry about that, but I expect to get the next two chapters out around Christmas.**

**Please review! **


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Here is the next chapter! And Happy Holidays to all! (Even though it's a little late.)**

I blacked out for a moment, but I soon heard screaming, multiple voices shouting my name, and a dog-like, high-pitched wail. I forced my eyes open and realized I was face-down on the Clearwaters' front yard. The world around me spinning from my head's collision with the ground, but after I blinked a few times, I made out the form of a sand-colored wolf running into the adjacent woods, and a familiar face crouching over me.

"Gwendolyn? Gwen!" Jacob said frantically, having phased back into his human form.

I heard my name screamed once more from the direction of the house, followed by, "Let go of me! She needs me!" Melody. Her tear-streaked face soon hovered over me, next to Jacob's. "Oh, my god. _Gwen_," she sobbed.

Then multiple ringtones began to sound. Mel and Jake each pulled theirs out, and I could hear the muffled sound of mine coming from my car.

"Alice! Alice, what do you mean Jasper collapsed?" Melody asked confusedly, sniffing. A jolt of fear coursed through me.

"Carlisle, Seth phased on top of her," Jake's distressed voice said.

"…Her shield is up…"

"…We can't get to her…"

"…Not moving…"

"…Still breathing…"

"Gwen? Can you talk?"

I took a shaky breath; it hurt too much to expand my lungs, but I managed to gasp, "Mel, go to Seth."

"What? _No!_" she protested, but I knew that her heart was pulling her towards her werewolf.

"He needs you more. It wasn't his fault." I tried to put as much emphasis on the latter statement as I could.

She raised her hand and placed it on my shield, right where my own hand was laying.

"Can't you help her?" Jacob asked desperately.

"First off, nothing, _nothing_ can get through that shield," she sighed. "And I'm not powerful enough to attempt such a strong healing spell. A toe or a thumb, sure, but not a whole body, especially when we're still in the dark about what's broken." I heard her breath catch, and she sniffled. Her fear penetrated my shield, and I could feel her shaking.

"I love you, Mel."

"Love you, too, Gwendolyn."

She hesitantly stood up, and with one last look at me, she headed towards the woods.

"Leah, go with her." Jacob turned his eyes from me for the first time to look behind himself. "You'll get her to him faster."

An answering whine told me that Leah had never changed from her wolf form.

"Go," Jacob told her, both a plea and a command.

She gave a low bark and ran off.

"Gwen?" Jacob turned back to me. "Carlisle needs you to lower your shield."

I tried, but the radiating pain throughout my body made my instincts kick in; I had no control over it. "I can't."

He reported this to Carlisle, and said urgently, "We need to move her." Jake nodded to whatever Dr. Cullen was telling him. "I'm the Alpha, and I say that yo are not threat to us. You've proved that before." There was the strong ring of authority in his voice, something I had never heard before. I realized that Jacob was giving Carlisle permission to come onto Quileute land, which would, under normal circumstances, violate the ancient treaty. He was just daring any one of the pack to question his decision.

But then I thought of something important: Carlisle couldn't get through my shield. There was no way he could treat me. Melody couldn't get through, and she was my equal! But there was only one person who could.

"Jake," I gasped, and his dark eyes locked on mine. "I need…Jasper."

I heard an angry shout from somewhere out of my line of sight, and Jacob's face darkened. "Why?" he asked.

This was as much for his knowledge as Carlisle's, who could hear everything going on. "He's the only person who's ever gotten through my shield."

Jacob immediately understood that he had to allow Jasper on the rez, but I heard the same shout again, and I realized that it was Sam. "It's the only way to save her, Sam," Jake growled.

"But he's dangerous! Remember that he attacked Bella!" Sam had gotten closer to us, and I blanched; both Bella and Jazz had been honest with what went down the night of her eighteenth birthday, that his gift caused him to feel each Cullen's bloodlust, not just his own, but when Sam just stated what happened so plainly… A tremor went through my body and my breath caught in my throat.

"Shut up, Sam!" Jacob ordered, the strong ring of authority in his voice. "Do you want her to die here, on _Emily's_ property?"

That shut Sam up, and Emily led him away, speaking soothing words to him.

"I know, Carlisle. He's never attacked anyone else; I do trust him…She's all our main concern." I lifted my eyes to meet his, and I could make out the tears swimming in them. _It's like he's losing Bella again._

"Please hurry." He snapped his phone shut. "They'll be here soon, Gwen. Just hold on."

"Tonio?" I asked, realizing that he was missing.

"The guys were already leading him down to the beach. They've actually been holding him back from racing here. Do you want him?" he asked.

"Yeah," I sighed, needing someone I loved. I didn't want him to see me broken, but it might give him some comfort to see that I was alive.

Jacob shouted for the guys, and I was amazed that they actually heard him, since they were so far away, but I heard Antonio's panicked shout of "Gwendolyn!" He fell to his knees next to me, across from where Jacob was kneeling. I didn't dare turn my head so that I was facing him, and Jacob moved so that Antonio could take his place.

"Carlisle and Jasper will be here in a few minutes," he informed him.

Antonio placed both his hands on my shield, his grief pouring around me.

"Don't blame Seth. Don't blame the wolves," I told him, thinking about his fear of the supernatural that he had just days before. "It was an accident."

He nodded, and I saw that he was crying.

Just then all three of us heard a car speeding up the road, the brakes squealing as the vehicle pulled into the driveway. No sooner had the car doors closed than both Jazz an Carlisle were beside me.

"Gwendolyn, we're going to move you," Carlisle informed me. "Jasper, can you calm her so she can lower her shield?"

Jasper nodded mutely, his eyes darkening by the second as he saw me so hurt. His hands went through my shield like it was just air, and I felt his cold hands on my back. Immediately I was swept up in a cloud of tranquility, and I felt my shield drop.

"That's good, son. Don't put her to sleep." Carlisle had an underlying tone of concern in his voice. If I went to sleep, I might not wake up.

"Okay, we're going to move you onto a stretcher, Gwendolyn, but we're going to have to flip you over onto your back." The grass rustled as the stretcher was placed next to me. "Antonio, please move back."

"We need another set of hands." Jasper spoke for the first time, his voice surprisingly emotionless. "Jacob-"

"Right here. What do you want me to do?"

I felt three pairs of hands on me, two cold and one extremely warm.

"On the count of three," Carlisle said. "We have to do it fast so as not to jostle her. Ready, Gwendolyn?"

_Like I have a choice._ I gave a little murmur of consent.

"One…two…three."

In the space of a heartbeat, I was flipped over on my back and onto the stretcher. Soon I felt straps being fastened across my body. I could finally expand my lungs, but my ribs protested.

"You're doing fine, Gwendolyn," Carlisle said, his voice both serious and fatherly. "We're taking you back to the house. The girls are setting up some medical equipment in my office for you."

"Antonio, you can ride back in the back with me and Gwen," Jasper told him. "Jake, could you help carry her to the jeep?"

I didn't like how distant Jasper sounded; it wasn't like him. I needed to hear his warm voice. "Jazz?" I asked, and his black eyes caught my green ones. I saw the tension fade out of them as he felt my fear. "Darlin'," he said softly, and he took my hand. "I love you."

I smiled weakly. "Love you, too."

He gave me a dazzling smile in response, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

I felt the stretcher be picked up and they gently loaded me into the back of Emmett's jeep.

"Take care of her, alright?" Jacob said, his eyes focused on me.

"She'll be well-cared for." Carlisle patted his shoulder like he was one of his sons. "Look after Seth."

Jake nodded once, and he reached over to squeeze my hand before walking away.

Antonio climbed in next to me, followed by Jasper, who shut the trunk. Carlisle got in the front seat and revved the engine, pulling out of the driveway.

Antonio pushed some hair out of my face. "Will you be able to help her?" he asked Carlisle.

"I'll try my best," Carlisle answered honestly. There was silence in the vehicle, Antonio stroking my hair, trying to comfort himself as much as me, and Jasper held my hand, his thumb rubbing circles on my skin.

"Jasper-"

"Ssh, Gwen," he said. "Don't strain yourself."

"Ali said you collapsed?"

"Uh, yeah," he admitted.

"Wait, you actually passed out?" Antonio asked, now looking at Jazz with interest.

"I didn't pass out; that's impossible for our kind," Jasper explained. "But I've never known something like this to happen before."

"Neither have I," Carlisle said. "Gwendolyn, when you put up your shield, is it possible you projected?"

"I've never done that before."

"Yes, you have," Jasper refuted me. "You were having a nightmare the other month and I felt your fear from the house."

I had forgotten about that. "My shield was up then, too."

"Your pain caused me to collapse," Jazz said in amazement.

"This is so _weird_," Antonio gasped, and it caused us all to give a little laugh, although it ended when I started to cough.

Jasper sent me some calmness, and he asked Carlisle to drive a little faster.

After having several X-rays and an ultrasound, Jasper staying by my side the entire time, Dr. Cullen finally made his diagnosis.

"Gwendolyn, it's a miracle that you're even alive, which I credit to your magic," he told me. "Any normal person would have died immediately."

"Can you help her?" Jasper asked, but he knew by Carlisle's tone that there was nothing he could do.

"If I tried to knit your skeleton back together, it would take multiple surgeries, more surgeries than any one person should go through, and years of recovery."

I closed my eyes, listening to my heart beat in my chest.

"I haven't given you morphine for the pain because I didn't want to risk losing you. Putting you under anesthesia is completely out of the question."

"There's only one thing to do, isn't there?" I asked.

"Gwendolyn," Jasper said, and he knelt by my side so that I could fully see him. "It's up to you. If you want to- to pass on…" He could barely speak the words.

"No!" I had tried to sit upright, which was a huge mistake. Jasper held me back down as a bolt of pain coursed through me. "No, Jazz. Please…"

"Okay, darlin.'" He nodded. "I'll turn you."

"You should do it within the next hour, "Carlisle told him. "Let's not push her body."

"I want to see Tonio and Melody," I said quickly.

Jasper knew I would ask for them.

"I'll get them," Carlisle said, and he left the room.

"So will you change me here?" I asked.

"I think it's for the best, since the walls are soundproof," he said matter-of-factly. I had momentarily forgotten about the excruciating pain that went along with the change, and Jazz felt my sudden fear. "Hey," he said, drawing closer to me, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Melody's entrance.

"Oh, Gwen!" she cried, and if Alice hadn't been right behind her to restrain her, she would've thrown her arms around my neck, aggravating my injuries. She looked contrite. "Oh, right." Alice gave her a sad smile and let her go, and Mel came to stand beside me, stroking my face. "Seth is so sorry, Gwen-"

"It's not his fault," I insisted. "You be sure to tell him that."

She nodded. "What did Carlisle say?"

I looked at Alice, who mouthed that Carlisle didn't tell her, or Antonio, who was still standing by the door, looking completely dejected. Of course Alice knew- she would've seen my decision.

"Melody, Antonio," I started, but Mel started crying, knowing exactly what I would say.

"What?" he demanded, coming closer to the cot I was on. "What is it?"

"Jasper is going to turn me."

Tonio's face blanched as he tried to take this in.

"She'll be good as new in three days," Jasper promised them. "It's jus that her injuries are so extensive…"

"It's okay, Jazz," Ali said softly. "They'll understand, and they'll see that Gwendolyn will still be herself."

"I love you," I told them.

"We'll never leave you," Melody promised, kissing my forehead.

"Love you, too," Antonio said, and Alice put her arm around him.

"Take care of him," I breathed for only her to hear, and she nodded.

I watched them walk out of the room, and then it was only me and Jasper.

"You'll do it now?" I asked.

"Yeah," Jasper replied, and he positioned himself so he was just inches from my face. "You sure? I've told you what this life is like-"

"I know. And as long as I have you, I'll be fine."

"I'll never abandon you." He then moved his face to my neck, and I felt his icy breath on my skin. I couldn't help the scared gasp that escaped my lips. Jasper pulled away from me, his brow furrowed, trying to figure out how to calm me. His eyes lit up when he suddenly had an idea, and that beautiful smile of his crossed his face.

"Darlin', do you remember when we had that picnic in the woods, and what I showed you?"

I tried to remember, but the pain in my body and the fear of the imminent pain of his venom caused me to forget. "No."

"I showed you where a vampire had to bite." He moved down the cot so that he was by my feet. "I told you the ankles were first." I felt his fingers tracing a design on my skin, and I closed my eyes at the sensation. Then I felt a sharp stab of pain as his teeth sunk into my right, then my left, ankle. His hands continued up my legs, and I tried to focus on that feeling rather than the slight burn of the venom. "Then behind the knees." He gently shifted my legs apart so he could reach the tender flesh underneath, and I felt his teeth sink into me again. The burning began to increase, and Jasper sent a wave of calm over me so I wouldn't try to move. "Now your wrists," he said, carefully picking up each of my arms to bring it to his mouth. "Then your elbows." I felt two slashes on each of my arms as he poured more of his venom into me. The fire was beginning to consume me; I could feel my heart pumping faster. Jasper set my arms down and gently kissed my lips. "I love you, Gwen." I felt him slowly lower his head to my neck and press a kiss to my pulse. "I'm so sorry." He finally bit my neck, pushing as much venom as he could into my body. When he released me, I felt his tongue glide over the wound. "I won't leave you," he said, his voice strained, and he sounded strangely far away, but as the fire in my veins finally consumed me, I passed out with a pained whimper.

**A/N: Okay, so the next chapter will actually be in JASPER'S POV! I cannot say when it will be posted, but I'll try not to make you wait too long! ****Please review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: I highly apologize for the incredible amount of time that it took for me to update. I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter!**

**This is in Jasper's POV!**

It had been twelve hours, twenty-six minutes, and nine seconds since I had to bite my Gwendolyn. Sweat gathered on her brow and I softly wiped it away with a washcloth, knowing that this would be the last time her body would give such a _human_ response. Her change had barely begun, and I was able to keep her asleep for most of the time. I knew by this time tomorrow sleep would be foreign to her body, and she would have to be conscious to the fire coursing through her veins. It's a shame that morphine couldn't save her from some of the pain, but Bella said it had only paralyzed her, and I would never put Gwen through that trauma; I would want her to be able to move and scream if she needed to, clutch at me and cry for me, not to be trapped inside her mind. Contrary to what the others believe, our human memories aren't lost due to a heightening of our senses, but rather during the hell of the transformation.

The venom literally causes us to lose our minds.

As I softly held Gwendolyn's hand, Tasha made a tiny _mew_.

"She'll be okay, kitty. She's just sleeping right now." I couldn't believe that I was actually talking to a cat, but the little creature turned those green eyes on me as if to say, "What did you do to my human?"

Tasha had refused to leave her position of sitting on the bedside table next to Gwen, her ears perked and eyes unblinking at her owner. Esme had tried to coax her out, but to no avail; that cat was staying with Gwendolyn, and it was a comfort to have some other being in the room with me, I had to admit. Our families were giving us our space, Melody and Antonio not wanting to see Gwen in such a broken state, my parents and siblings not wanting to accidentally trigger the instinct of protecting my mate. And it was better that everyone let us stay isolated in Carlisle's study: their emotions felt muted by the soundproof walls, which allowed me to just deal with my own anxiety and Gwendolyn's cocktail of emotions.

I could feel her start to awaken late the next morning, not even twenty-four hours after the accident. I tried to put her back to sleep, but the venom was preventing it, and it couldn't have been at a worse time- her bones were starting to knit back together. I could hear each _click, click, click_ under her skin, and I knew she would be scared, the sound echoing in her head, the pain shooting through her. I felt her body stiffen under me, and her breathing became more erratic. I moved off my chair and kneeled right beside her head, whispering to her.

"It's okay, darlin'. It's nothing to be afraid of. It'll be over soon. I promise it'll be over soon."

She had not opened her eyes at all, but I could see them rolling in their sockets from the pain, but her face turned slightly towards me. I kept talking to her, telling her how much I loved her and how quickly the fire would go away. I was feeding her waves of calm, and after several hours the clicking of her bones faded, leaving the venom to corrupt her DNA, stripping her of her humanity. I had so hoped to have avoided this situation for years, maybe decades, but fate was not on our side; her heart had to stop when she was just twenty-five.

It wasn't fair.

But this was no one's fault. It wasn't Gwendolyn's fault for not putting her shield up fast enough or interpreting her dreams better. It wasn't Melody's fault for not watching out for her cousin, or her wolf. And it certainly wasn't Seth's fault. He was only protecting Gwen.

He and Jacob had been coming into our backyard periodically; their scent carried through the open window on the other side of the study. I heard Melody's voice trying to reassure Seth he did no wrong, and she was keeping Jacob informed on Gwendolyn's condition, which was a lie; she had no idea what condition Gwen was in, but you had to give the girl credit for trying to be optimistic.

It was late on day two of her transformation when Esme gingerly knocked on the door. Without looking up from Gwen, I told my mom to come in, and Rosalie followed her.

"We wanted to clean her up a bit," Esme said, holding a basin of warm water, Rosalie with a towel and clean clothes.

I saw the bits of grass still in Gwendolyn's dark hair, and there was some dirt underneath of her nails. "Okay."

"Perhaps you should wait outside, Jazz?" Rose suggested softly, her hand lightly touching my shoulder.

It was the very last thing I wanted to do. Gwendolyn was becoming more and more conscious of her surroundings, her hands holding mine tightly and a strangled "Jasper" leaving her lips every few minutes. But as of that moment, she was more relaxed.

I nodded to my sister and mother, knowing that they would be careful with her, just in case something wasn't quite healed yet. I kissed Gwendolyn's forehead and told her I'd be just outside the door, that Rose and Esme were going to clean her up. She gave a deep breath in response, and I was almost able to discern an "Okay."

I got up and patted Tasha's head, wondering if she would follow me, but she stayed put. Esme was worried about the little cat and the lack of eating and sleeping she was doing. At least she was drinking the water that Esme left for her in the corner of the study.

I walked out of the room and closed the door, sliding down to sit with my knees against my chest. My instinct to protect my injured mate was swimming in my head, and I had to take several breaths to see if I could silence it. Gwendolyn wasn't in any danger. Esme and Rosalie were taking care of her. But then I realized that Alice was mysteriously absent from Gwendolyn's bedside…

Eavesdropping wasn't approved of in the Cullen household. We all recognized that few things were really private in the house due to our advanced hearing, and we did our best to try to ignore all the conversations happening throughout the house. However, I decided to break this unwritten rule, just to draw my attention from my instincts.

I could hear Emmett in the kitchen, washing dishes from meals given to the wolves and humans who have been keeping vigil for Gwendolyn. Melody had refused to go back to her apartment, wanting to be as close to her cousin as possible, and Antonio stayed as well, even more worried than Mel, since he was so new to the supernatural. I could hear Melody's slow and steady breathing; she was asleep. And she wasn't alone.

"_When will she wake up?"_ Antonio's voice asked from the entertainment room.

"_Tomorrow evening,"_ came the sweet voice of Alice. So that's where Antonio's been. _"She'll be okay, Antonio."_

"_But she won't be the same. I know about newborns- that's what they're called, right? They just want blood."_

"_Not all are like that. Bella wasn't like that. She kept her sanity. She's the same Bells that we all know and love, just with a different diet."_ Her voice was soothing, and I could tell Antonio was slowly beginning to relax.

"_So she'll be the same Gwen?"_ he asked, his voice hoping for a positive answer.

"_Exactly the same,"_ Alice promised in her unfailingly optimistic tone. _"Just with a different diet."_

It was quiet for a few minutes, or maybe it was just seconds.

"_Does it hurt?"_

Alice thought for a second, nothing to a human, but an eternity to a vampire. _"There is some pain."_

"_Okay."_ Antonio fell silent, perhaps trying to ward off the reality of Gwen's suffering.

I felt the door move behind me and jumped to my feet to see Rose and Esme standing in the doorway.

"She's all cleaned up now," Esme said. "You can go to her. We won't disturb you anymore."

"Thank you." I tried to smile to show my gratitude for their actions, but ended up just sending them a wave of thankfulness. They both smiled kindly at me, my mother and my sister, knowing just how hard this was.

They closed the door as I resumed my station next to Gwendolyn, whose skin was now free of any dirt, her black hair brushed neatly, a pillow for her head.

"I'm here, darlin', I'm back," I whispered to her. "Alice said the change will be over tomorrow night." That bit of news did curb some of my anxiety.

"Jasper." Her left hand shifted slightly on the bed, and I quickly held it. "Jazz, it burns."

It was the most she had said since I had bitten her. "I know, Gwendolyn. I'm so sorry." I kissed her knuckles and realized how tightly she was holding on to me. I couldn't believe she had been able to be so quiet during the transformation; it was unheard of in Maria's army. A few tears left her eyes, and I wiped them away, knowing that these would be the last tears she would ever shed.

I didn't know whether she was able to have a conversation, or if she preferred to silent, but I decided to try my hand at a one-sided conversation. "Alice picked out the clothes you're wearing right now. She went for a more sensible look rather than a dress like she put Bella in." I looked at the black pants and green sweater that Gwen was wearing; a lot more practical for one's first hunt than a designer dress.

"Ali…Tonio?"

"He's fine. Alice is taking care of him. He's very worried about you, but she's a very reassuring person."

I saw the left side of her mouth curve up in the smallest of smiles. I saw Tasha's tail flick at the same sight and an inquiring meow left her.

"Tasha," Gwen sighed, and I felt a little thrill of joy go through her, but it went as quickly as it came, the venom continuing its work.

Over the next several hours I could see the vampiric changes in her appearance, her pale complexion turning snow white, her black hair becoming more lustrous, and her human-soft skin hardening. She didn't try to speak anymore, but she made some whimpering sounds, to which I did my best to soothe her. I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, whispered sweet nothings to try to make her as comfortable as possible. I couldn't put her to sleep anymore; she wasn't able to.

It was the third day, and I could tell that she was suddenly realizing how few heartbeats she had. Waves of fear were overcoming her periodically, and I realized that she needed my support now more than ever. I carefully picked up her body and repositioned her so that I could lie down next to her, and she curled into my frame. I continued to hold her hand, which was now lying right over her heart.

"Cherish it," I whispered.

And she did. We both did. It began to pump harder, that familiar throbbing shaking her chest, her breathing even more erratic as she tried to get more oxygen into her body. It's strong beat was a calming sound, and I counted the number of times it filled my head.

At this late stage of the transformation, I knew that she didn't have to lie still, that she could get up, like Rosalie did decades ago. But Gwendolyn was afraid to do anything that might jeopardize her body in this in-between state, and so we waited for the end of it.

Finally, as the sun was going down, her heart reached a new extreme of beats per minute. She clung to me, and I knew felt as though the organ would burst inside of her.

"I'm here, Gwen. It's okay," I whispered.

Tasha became agitated, bristling slightly, as an air of anticipation permeated the room.

"Jasper," Gwen gasped, and I held her tight to me. It would be over any second.

And it was. Her heart finally started to slow.

Then the beating stopped.

**A/N: Please review to show me that I haven't lost my dear readers due to my lack of updates!**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: This chapter is once again in Gwendolyn's POV, and it will be for the rest of the story. Thank you for those who reviewed! :) Please enjoy!**

The pain was over. The fire was gone. It was such a sweet relief. And that incessant throbbing, the sound that drove that fire for countless hours, had finally stopped.

But wait…That wasn't right. That throbbing held importance. It wasn't simply throbbing- it was beating.

It was my heart.

Panic seized me. My heart had stopped. I moved a hand to my neck, down to my chest, but I couldn't find a pulse. I was dead. I had to be dead. I gave a gasp of fright and struggled to move, but something was restraining me, and I became even more scared and fought harder.

"Gwendolyn, Gwen, please, it's okay, you're safe, you're okay."

I froze when I heard the voice. It was familiar, yet strange. It's accent caressed my ears, harkening back to memories pushed to the back of my mind, and it's softness…It caressed my heart.

"Darlin', please open your eyes," the voice quietly requested as whatever had been holding me fell away. I hadn't even realized how tightly I had my eyes closed. I slowly opened them, and then wished I hadn't.

The room was so bright that it blinded me; I gave a hiss of surprise and pain, but then I opened my eyes and let them adjust to the light. I looked around, taking in the familiar bookshelves all around me, and the scent of old and well-read texts hung in the air.

"Gwendolyn?" the voice asked again, and I turned my head to see a very familiar countenance: those curly blonde locks falling into his face, those topaz eyes half-hidden beneath them. Those eyes had a dozen different hues of yellow and gold, and I leaned in closer, studying them, not even realizing my movement. The figure stayed very still, and I lifted a hand to brush his hair away, revealing a scar above his eyebrow, the ridges of some creature's teeth embossed in his skin. I touched it, and he didn't flinch beneath my hand. His eyes remained calm, his body still but not relaxed. I looked into his face again, touching the impossibly soft strands of his hair. A name was on the tip of my tongue. I opened my mouth but then closed it just as quickly.

"Gwen?" he asked. I had never heard that voice so clear before, how his enchanting accent affected the pronunciation of each individual sound of that name. _My_ name.

He slowly leaned in towards me, and I instinctively leaned away, causing him to freeze. His brow furrowed ever so slightly at my action.

"Gwendolyn." This time it wasn't a question, but a statement, like an answer to an obvious question.

The vaguest of memories were in my mind's eye. Pale shapes and sounds rattled in my brain, and I didn't know how to make them clearer so I could understand. I wanted to understand. Apparently so much so that I started to cry because I was so confused.

"Oh, darlin', don't cry, please," he said, and before I knew it I was swept up in his arms. "It's natural to be disoriented after the change. You've done so beautifully, Gwen. You're doing fine."

The change? What change? I let this man cradle me against him, his body comfortingly warm. I looked down at his arms, which were wrapped around me so gently, but I felt comfortable and safe. His body was no longer rigid but relaxed around me, and I felt as if nothing could tear me away from him, not that I ever wanted to be away from him. Everything about him, his face, his voice, his touch, even his sweet musk stirred memories in my mind, and I desperately tried to grasp them, but I couldn't. I knew him, and he knew me. And I could see him in my memory, a blur of colors and moments, but I knew that was him, and I had always felt this way about him. And then it wasn't just my memories that were stirred, but my feelings. A strong, burning sensation consumed me, but it wasn't like the hell that I had just awoken from; this was a sweet burn, a welcome burn. It was deep and glorious, and it was _love_.

I loved him.

I always loved him.

Gwendolyn loved Jasper.

"Jasper!" I shouted triumphantly, the mind-block gone. "My Jasper! You're my Jasper!"

And I threw my arms around his neck, and he squeezed me to his chest. "Gwendolyn! I knew you'd be okay. I love you, Gwen. I love you so much."

"I love you, too!" I took his face between both of my hands and kissed him, and he kissed me back just as eagerly.

"You never left me. You stayed with me. You watched over me. I remember now."

"You're my mate. I couldn't leave you," he said, and he ran his fingers through my hair. "I'm so glad you're back with me."

I smiled at him, and his returning smile left me dazzled, even more so than when I was human.

"Wait, I'm not human anymore," I said slowly.

His smile faded and he didn't reply.

I looked at my hands and saw that they were now the same alabaster as his, not the white tinged with pink vessels that they had always been. I touched the back of my hand, expecting to feel stone, but instead a rather firm, but not hard, surface. And it wasn't cold, either. That's when I touched Jasper's face again, realizing he was softer and warmer than he ever was.

"You're not cold. And you're soft."

He smiled slightly. "We're made of the same stuff, now."

I nuzzled him. "I'm glad."

We stayed like that for quite some time, until a meow of annoyance caught our attention. I whipped me head around to see Tasha watching me, her green eyes- which were pure green- conveying that she was offended I hadn't noticed her.

"She wouldn't leave," Jasper informed me. "She was worried about you."

I looked at her, my little black cat, her coat now divided into individual hairs before my new eyes. Her light exhalations were now audible to me, as was the beating of her heart, and the rush of blood-

I stopped my thoughts and ended up on the other side of the room, not even realizing I had moved. I now became aware of a burn in my throat, and I didn't want to be near my precious kitten. I looked at her now, and she was standing, having been startled by my flight.

"Gwendolyn, you won't hurt her," Jasper said so confidently I almost believed him. "You didn't even notice her before, not her heart, not her blood, nothing."

He made a valid point, but then again I had been overwhelmed by just figuring out who _he_ was.

"Take a deep breath, Gwen; she's not food." Jasper leaned over to her and picked her up easily, placing her on his lap, rubbing her head, stirring the air with her scent.

"Jazz, please," I begged.

"You will not hurt her."

But seeing that he was now in a position to protect her should I lose control, I felt more comfortable in obeying his request, and I took a deep breath. There was the scent of the books, the faint scent of Carlisle, Jasper's wonderful scent, and then Tasha's. I could smell cat food and the powdery scent of her litter box, and her blood…wasn't that appealing. It didn't translate to "food" in my predator brain.

Jasper smiled and gestured for me to come back over to them. "She's inedible. Just like you."

"My blood was really that bad?"

"Darlin', I love you, and you're beautiful, but your blood is bad news."

"Huh," I replied, feeling like I should be insulted, but I was more amused than anything. I took a step forward toward them and I was sitting back on the cot in a flash. "Whoa."

"The speed takes some getting used to," he chuckled. "But right now Tasha wants you to say hello."

I looked at my cat, who was climbing onto my lap from Jasper's, a loud purr erupting from her chest. But I let my hands lay limp by my sides. "I can't touch her."

"Why not?"

"I'm really, really strong now. I'll crush her."

Jasper pondered this over for a second and picked up my left hand, telling me to relax it, and I did as he asked. He carefully let my fingers graze along Tasha's spine, and she arched her back at my touch. Jasper repeated this action several times, keeping it very light and very slow.

"You do it," he said, letting go of my hand, and I did my best to mimic his movements.

Tasha was overjoyed that I was petting her once again, and I was happy, too; we always hated to be separated and to be away from each other's company. We needed each other.

"Gwendolyn, you are doing so well. I want you to know that," Jasper said seriously.

"I am?" I asked doubtfully.

"All the newborns I've been around, except for Bella, could never behave like you are right now."

"They couldn't gently pet an animal or resist the thirst?"

"Hell, no." He shook his head. "You're amazing."

I felt a little stab of pride. This vampire thing wouldn't be so bad. I already wasn't a threat to Tasha, who had now sat down on my lap, looking back and forth at Jasper and me.

"But speaking of thirst, I want to take you on your first hunt, just so you're ready to see Melody and Antonio tomorrow."

"Not today?" I asked sadly.

"It's already night, Gwen, or it will be shortly," he laughed. "They're probably on their way home now, since Alice has probably told them you're awake and doing fine."

I let Jasper pick Tasha up and set her down on the floor; I didn't want to take any chances. "So they're gone?" I asked, not wanting to run into them and having my control finally slip.

Jasper bit his lip; he didn't know. But then his eyes glowed with an idea. "We'll go out the front door. If they haven't gone, they'll still be in the back of the house. And if we run, we'll certainly miss them."

At the sound of "run," I became very excited, and Jasper could feel it. I was itching to stretch my legs.

We walked towards the study door and Jasper unlocked it. "On the count of three, okay?"

I nodded, bouncing up and down on my heels.

"One, two, three!"

**A/N: Please review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update! Life has been really busy! Just saw Breaking Dawn today, and I cried my eyes out and I really needed to write this (if you've seen the new movie, you understand why.) So please enjoy!**

No sooner had he thrown the door open that I was already half way down the stairs, him right on my heels. I was surprised to see that the front door was open, but I quickly realized that Alice had seen this coming and didn't want any barriers in my way. Even though I could have opened a door in no time at all, I didn't want to stop running. It was so _exhilarating_. I ran out the door, through the front yard, and into the woods beyond, Jasper hot on my heels.

We were practically flying through the woods, the full moon giving every tree and every bush a white glow. I could see everything: every leaf on every bush, a moth blending in on a distant tree trunk, a spider web fluttering slightly in the soft breeze of the night…And the sounds of nature: the chirping of crickets, the hooting of an animal, and the soft running footsteps of my mate.

"Since I'm a newborn, am I faster than you?" I taunted, since he was two steps behind me.

"Darlin', no newborn is a match for the Major," he growled playfully, and quickly quickened his speed, flashing a smile as he passed me.

"Oh hell no." I pushed my legs harder and increased my speed, no longer focusing on the forest but on the golden-haired angel in front of me.

He was weaving between the trees, trying to throw me, but I quickly caught up to him, and I tackled him to the forest floor, my arms wrapped around his waist as we tumbled together in the leaves and brush.

"Caught you," I said, lying on top of Jasper and smirking at him.

"Indeed, you did," he chuckled, brushing a few leaves out of my hair. His eyes were bright from our run, practically glowing gold in the darkness.

"I feel bad; I've been holding you back all this time," I said.

He shook his head. "When you love someone as much as I love you, you don't notice the world moving slower."

"I did hear, you, you know. When I was changing." I looked into his eyes, brushing his hair out of his face. "You were the only thing that I had to hold onto in the pain."

In a moment he had changed position, so that we were both sitting up, my legs loosely straddling his hips, our faces just centimeters apart. "I love you so much, Gwendolyn. I was so scared I was going to lose you."

"I would never let that happen." I cradled his face in my hands. "I could never leave you. I love you, Jazz. Forever."

He kissed me, barely waiting for me to finish my thought. I thought that nothing could be better than kissing Jasper when I was human, but I was wrong; nothing was better than kissing him then, when I was a vampire, too.

His kisses were slow, like he was getting used to the feel of my new skin, and I reveled in the amazing sensations; every touch, every emotion was amplified. His lips were soft and warm against mine, his hands gently pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as our kisses deepened, and he let down his guard and let his emotions overwhelm me, causing me to gasp at the intensity of his love and desire for me. _Me_. My eyes burned with tears that I would never shed.

"You are perfect, Gwendolyn. You have always been absolutely perfect."

"Jasper…" Both of our emotions combined were too much for my newborn self to handle, and he quickly understood and pulled his back.

"You always feel that way about me?" I asked.

"Every moment," he said seriously. He looked at me intently. "Why are you doubtful?"

"Well, I just wasn't sure if when I was turned, you would still want me. I'm different now."

"Oh, Gwen." He shook his head. "How could you think that?"

"I'm not soft like I was. I'm not warm either, and I don't have a heartbeat, and I can't blush anymore-"

"Ssshhh." He caressed my bottom lip with his thumb. "None of those things matter. And anyway, I can still feel it when you're embarrassed or flustered." He pressed his lips to my neck, causing my desire to spike. "Like now."

"And I'm not breakable," I said with a smile.

He smirked. "Darlin', you better watch yourself…"

I quickly flipped us so that I was once again on top of him, but now I had other intentions in mind. "What if I want to be bad?"

Jasper's eyes narrowed and he flipped us so that he was now on top of me. "Then I will help in any way that I can, little lady," he said, his accent becoming more prominent.

"I love you," I breathed before grabbing his shirt collar and pulling his head down to kiss him.

"I love you, too," he whispered against my lips before our emotions finally consumed us.

The sun was just beginning to rise when Jasper and I finally found our self-control and got dressed, although our clothes were partially ripped and torn.

"Jazz, you destroyed my bra," I laughed as I picked up the mangled piece of underwear. "I can't go back braless!"

"Well I did stop myself from ripping your sweater," he pointed out, obviously pleased with himself. "I would have appreciated it if you had shown my shirt the same respect." He held the shreds in his hands; it couldn't even be called a shirt anymore.

"Oops." I shrugged, but I knew Jasper wouldn't want his scars on display for everyone to see. But then the sun found its way through the tree branches, and it hit him, his face and chest sparkling in the light. I was speechless from how beautiful he looked; I could see a thousand rainbows radiating from his skin. "You're beautiful."

He smiled, and he held out his hand. "Come here. Let's see what you look like."

A wave of excitement came over me and I walked over and took his hand, joining him in the light. I gasped as I saw my skin react the same way his did.

"You're the beautiful one," he whispered, his eyes trying to memorize the way I looked in that moment. "You're breathtaking, Gwen."

I ducked my head and smiled; those were the same words he had said when he finally saw all of me the night before. I felt like I should blush, but it never came. He kissed my forehead, and said, "Darlin', if you don't cover up, we're never going back home."

I laughed, feeling the same way as I traced his scars dazzling in the sun. "Do you think she left us some clothes around here?"

"She's always on top of things," he sighed and went over to a nearby tree that had a hollow in the trunk. "And what do you know?" He turned around and he was holding two stacks of clothes in his hands.

We dressed quickly, each of us not trusting our self-control to hold out much longer.

"Oh my god, Gwen," Jasper said suddenly, his shock causing me to go on the alert.

"What's wrong?"

"You haven't fed yet."

We stared at each other for a few seconds, and I said, "I didn't even notice it last night."

"Well, you were otherwise occupied," he said, his tone lighter but still serious. "You need to feed."

I nodded, and the burn in my throat became more acute.

He stepped closer to me. "I'm going to teach you how to hunt now. Close your eyes."

I did as he said, and inhaled deeply, trying to pick up the scent of any blood. I frowned when I couldn't find a trace.

"It's okay; we may be too far away to smell anything. Try listening now."

So I did, and I could hear the distant breathing of what I assumed was a deer somewhere in the woods.

"Good," Jazz said as I told him my discovery. "Now follow the sound."

I took off, running in the direction of where the animal was eating, and I found a small herd of deer, all grazing lazily.

"Ambush is your key," Jasper breathed in my ear as I crouched by a tree. "Keep low, and stay downwind from them."

I nodded, the burn in my throat now so painful that I couldn't speak. I was so close to quenching my thirst.

I stalked the deer, stepping carefully so I didn't crack any twigs or rustle any leaves, and then I stopped as I was just feet away from the herd. I readied myself, and then I pounced. The deer scattered in all directions, but I caught one, and sunk my teeth into its neck. The blood flowed easily down my throat, and within moments I had drained it. I looked up to see that Jasper had breakfast also.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Good," I admitted.

He smiled. "Do you want more?"

I shook my head. "The burn is gone now."

His brow furrowed, and I thought I had done something wrong.

"Don't worry, Gwen. You're fine. It's just- no newborn should say something like that."

"I'm supposed to be a blood-crazed monster?"

"Well, Bella had more to drink on her first hunt than you, and she's very controlled."

"Why do you think I'm so…not thirsty?" I asked.

"I couldn't answer that," he chuckled. "Maybe it has something to do with your magic."

"My magic!" I gasped. "Do you think-?"

"Darlin', if anything, you should be even more powerful than before," Jasper said.

I picked up a branch beside us and focused on it, and it immediately burst into flames, stronger and hotter than I would have been able to produce before. Both of us jumped, and the branch fell to the ground, the fire disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Well, good to know I can do that," I said, a little shaken by the power I had just felt.

"Yeah." Jasper seemed a little spooked, too, but he just took my hand and said, "Let's go back home."

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! And Happy Thursday to all of my non-American readers! Please review! And see Breaking Dawn!**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! They really make me happy! :) Enjoy this next chapter!**

Jasper and I ran back to the Cullen house, holding hands the whole time, only stopping to steal a kiss every now and then. When the front drive came into view, I saw that my car was in the drive; Melody and Antonio must be waiting for me.

"You'll do wonderfully," Jasper assured me. "I'll feel if it gets to be too much for you, and none of us would let you hurt them."

"I trust you," I said, but I was still afraid I would lose control.

We walked inside and were welcomed by Carlisle and Esme.

"Gwendolyn, you look beautiful, dear," Esme said with a big smile, pulling me into a hug.

"Welcome to the family," Carlisle said, and I hugged him, too.

"Is everyone here?" I asked, but then realized that that was a really stupid question since I could hear everyone's voices.

"They're in the living room." Carlisle winked. "It's a lot to get used to, but it seems that you're doing very well." He looked to Jasper for confirmation.

"She's even more controlled than Bella," Jasper said, and I could tell he was proud of me.

"It seems like we really know how to pick our future family members," a familiar voice said, and I whirled around to see Alice. "Glad those clothes came in handy after all." She gestured to what Jazz and I were wearing.

"Oh, um, yeah. Thank you," I said, now really embarrassed.

She smiled. "Melody and Antonio are dying to see you."

I looked at the others, but I was addressing Jasper more than anyone. "Will I be okay?"

"Don't worry!" Alice flitted over to my side and took my hand. "You won't hurt them. I've triple-checked the future and they're one hundred percent safe."

"Okay, then." I nodded to her and she began dragging me towards the living room, Jasper following us, along with Carlisle and Esme. I just knew that Carlisle was curious about how I would react around human blood. I was quite the scientific experiment for him.

"Guys! Look who's all better!" Alice announced as we walked into the living room, and all eyes turned on me, followed by a round of applause.

"All right!" Emmett looked like he had found a particularly irritable grizzly to wrestle. "Do you know how much I've missed you these past three days?"

"I'm sure." I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Hey, I'm stronger than you now, aren't I?"

That took Emmett's enthusiasm down a notch. "Well, that's debatable-"

"I could kick your ass as a human and I can kick your ass as a vampire, Em."

"Finally! Someone can put my husband in his place, besides me," Rosalie added, coming to stand beside us. "Even though this wasn't the path I wanted you to go down, Gwen, I really am glad that you're here with us now," she said seriously.

"Thank you, Rosalie. That really means a lot to me." I gave her a hug. "I'm glad to have you as my sister."

Rose was quite touched, her eyes filling with gratitude as Emmett put his arm around her waist.

But the two people that I had wanted to see the most had not come over to me yet, and that's when I realized that the Cullens had formed a barrier between me and the two humans in the room.

Jasper took my hand and said, "She won't hurt them. She's very controlled."

Alice backed him up, but she didn't seem as encouraging as she had just a minute ago, and I could understand why: putting a newborn and her mate in the same room wasn't a very good situation.

"That's it. I've had enough of this waiting around shit." Melody's voice was determined. "Gwendolyn, I want to see your vampire ass right now."

I giggled at my cousin's attitude and Emmett and Rose stepped aside so I could see her. She was standing on the other side of the couch, but as soon as she saw me, she hopped over the sofa and threw her arms around my neck. I stiffened, the beating of her heart and the warmth of her body causing my instincts to go wild; I immediately stopped breathing.

Jasper squeezed my hand, helping to ground me. "It's okay. You won't want her blood. Trust me," he said so that only I could hear.

So I took a deep breath…and almost threw up.

"Dear god, Mel, you stink!" I shouted in surprise, and no one was laughing harder than Emmett.

Melody let go of me and crossed her arms. "I'll have you know I took a shower this morning, and I am wearing perfume and deodorant! I smell like a flower garden!"

"You smell like a dog that got _into_ a flower garden!" I corrected her. "Is that from Seth?" I asked the vampires around me.

"The dogs stink, and unfortunately their imprints also tend to pick up the scent from long-term exposure," Rose said.

"And with that scent haunting your nasal cavities, how about you get reacquainted with Antonio?" Alice suggested, flitting to the sofa to pull him towards me. It seems any shyness that the two had had around each other was gone.

"Tonio?" I asked as my friend stood in front of me, his brown eyes wide.

"So it's really you, Gwendolyn?" he asked.

I held out my arms. "It's really me."

He started forward to hug me, but Alice held him back. "Perhaps a little sniff first?"

Antonio stepped back and I slowly approached him, Jasper still holding my hand, Alice in a position to step between me and Antonio should things go wrong.

I stood half a foot away from him, and I inhaled deeply. He wasn't like Melody; there was no wolf scent on him. He was more like Tasha- I could smell all the individual scents on him that made him up: the cinnamon Altoids he always ate, the clean scent of his deodorant, and now a certain sweetness that I recognized as Alice's scent. And although his blood did spark the burn in the back of my throat, it wasn't unbearable. I could live with it. _He_ could live around me.

"I'm fine," I informed everyone. "I don't want to eat you, Antonio."

A relieved smile broke on his face, and Jasper and Alice stepped back so we could hug.

"I was so worried about you, Gwendolyn," he whispered in my ear. "I couldn't live without you in my life."

"I love you, too, Tonio," I whispered back, making sure not to hug him too hard.

When we ended our embrace, we noticed that only Melody, Jasper and Alice were in the room with us.

"We have more visitors coming," Mel informed us, her phone in her hand. "Seth, Leah and Jacob are on their way."

"How is Seth?" I asked her eagerly. "How bad does he feel?"

"Well, he was pretty shaken up, obviously," she said. "He's been coming by every day to check on you and-"

"And to check on _you_," I guessed.

"I was worried sick! How the hell am I supposed to know how this," she gestured to my whole body, "goes down?"

"Seth looked after Mel while I looked after Antonio. He was more concerned than she was," Alice told me, her voice too low for either of the humans in the room to hear.

"That's Antonio," I replied, shooting her a quick smile, and she responded by taking one of his hands in hers.

I then heard barking coming from outside, and before I had registered the noise in my brain, I was already on the back porch, three great wolves coming out of the woods in front of me.

"Now, their presence might throw your defensive instincts into action." Jasper appeared next to me. "But they won't hurt you."

I didn't understand why the three of them were still in their wolf forms instead of their human ones. I kept forgetting that I was dangerous now.

"I won't hurt you!" I called to them, giving a friendly wave.

Seth's sandy-furred ears pricked up and he began to trot forward, and I came down the porch steps to meet him. Leah chided her little brother with a sharp bark, and he walked slower towards me, his ears flicking back and forth between his pack and Jasper and I.

"I'm fine, Seth. Look at me. Not a scratch." I smiled.

He cocked his head to the side, and then took a step towards me, sniffing me. He then proceeded to sneeze.

"Hey, I smell better than you do!"

He gave a rasping bark, and he then sat down in front of me. I patted his head, practicing the same strokes that Jasper had taught me the night before on Tasha.

"Now Seth will finally stop whining," Leah said, now back in her human form. "None of us could stand the guilt constantly filling our heads."

"You would have felt guilty if it had been you, Leah," Jacob said, and she glared at him. "Hey, Gwen."

"It's great to see you, Jacob," I said, and neither of us knew whether we should hug or not.

"I really don't want that smell on my clothes," I told him.

"And you don't want to piss off, Leah, right?"

My mouth dropped open, and he laughed. "Yeah, Mel said you had found us out." He gestured for Leah to come over to us, but she held back, wary of me.

"Leah, she's safe, isn't she, Jasper?"

"She's even more controlled than Bella," Jasper said. "Absolutely tame."

Seth, still sitting at my feet, gave his sister an encouraging bark, and she reluctantly walked over, arms crossed. Jacob put an arm aound her waist, giving her a smile that said, "Now was that so hard?" She wasn't happy, but she did lean into him, her muscles relaxing.

"Hey, what's up with your eyes?" she asked, her own dark eyes narrowed, staring at me.

"What- what do you mean?" I asked. "They're red, like all newborns' eyes." Although it dawned on me that I had not yet seen what I now looked like.

"Um, no, they're not," Leah said, but she was silenced by a stern look from Jacob and Jasper saying, "Leave it, Leah."

"Jazz, what's wrong with my eyes?" I turned to him, panic building within me.

He took my face in his hands, and he sent calming waves through me. "There is nothing wrong with your eyes, darlin'," he said. "They're just unusual for a vampire."

"Let's face facts, Gwen," Jake said. "_You're_ unusual period."

That did make me feel better, and I calmed down a bit.

"Leah, what did I tell you about her eyes?" Melody's voice sounded from behind me. "I told you not to mention it, and you did."

"I couldn't help it if they're freaky," she shot back, but she backed off when Jacob told her to. He was a good influence on her.

"Alice told us all that your eyes would be different," Mel informed me. "I think they're pretty, as does everyone else, right, Seth?"

The wolf in front of me barked his agreement and wagged his tail, and Mel gave me a kiss on the top of his head.

"I'm heading to La Push now, since you're all right," she told me, climbing onto Seth's back. "If you need me, call me."

"Okay, Mel," I said.

"Antonio, you coming?" Melody shouted to the house, and I cringed at how loud that sounded. Damn superior hearing.

"Actually, Melody," Antonio started, appearing at the back door with Alice by his side," I think I'm going to stay here." He smiled down at Alice, whose face lit up.

"Suit yourself," Melody tried to say nonchalantly, but the huge grin she had betrayed her excitement.

"Come on, Leah," Jacob said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "We should let Gwendolyn have some time to adjust."

Leah muttered a "see ya" to me, and she turned away and phased into her wolf form, following Seth and Melody into the woods. Jacob gave me a friendlier goodbye before taking off after her.

"Jasper, I want to see my eyes," I told him, and he led me back into the house, where Alice was waiting with a hand mirror in the kitchen.

"I'm really jealous," she told me. "It's really boring to share your eye color with six other vampires."

I took the mirror from her, not sure of what I would see. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, which did not have the cleansing effect it once had since I no longer needed oxygen to survive, and I held up the mirror and opened my eyes.

My mouth fell open in shock. I wasn't sure which of my features to focus on, since they all looked so…different. My skin was pure white, not a single blemish marring my face. My hair had become a darker black, and was fuller than ever. My teeth were a brilliant white, and they shined from the venom that was now my saliva. I had never seen so many eyelashes in my life.

And then I saw my eyes, and knew why everyone couldn't help but stare. Instead of the bright red eyes I was supposed to have, my eyes had become a richer shade of green, much more like Tasha's than my human eyes. But within the green were specks of bright red, hundreds of little spots that made my eyes seem Christmas-themed.

"Oh," I said after a few minutes of staring at myself.

"You're beautiful, aren't you?" Jasper asked, putting his arm around me.

"It was my magic, wasn't it?" I asked him.

"Most likely," he replied. "Those red specks will turn gold once your body is no longer fueled by your human blood."

"Gold and green." I tried to imagine what that would look like, but it was a lot to wrap my mind around. I set the mirror on the counter and noticed that Alice had left us; she was on the back porch with Antonio, chatting with him about his childhood.

I suddenly felt homesick, and turned to Jasper, whose brow was furrowed by my sudden change of emotion.

"I want to go home."

He smiled softly. "Okay then. I'll get your keys."

**A/N: So I am sad to say that there are only three chapters left of Jasper and Gwendolyn's story. I'll do my best to get the next chapter (or chapters) out in late December (I have finals coming up). So in the meantime, please review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! A Christmas gift from me to you, my beloved readers! Please enjoy!**

I didn't understand the Cullens obsession with fast cars until I was behind the wheel of my old Mustang, which required a gentle hand. I was starting to think that it would be faster to just run back to Melody's apartment to get my things rather than drive.

"We'll do some car shopping," Jasper told me with an amused smile.

I rubbed the steering wheel affectionately. "Actually, I think that there may be a spell to speed this puppy up."

"Of course there is," Jazz sighed.

We got back to Melody's apartment and I packed up my suitcase, not sure how long I would stay at my own house.

Jasper sensed my indecision. "We can stay as long as you want. You're going through a big change, darlin'." He wrapped his arms around me as I stood over my half-filled suitcase.

"I know." I leaned into him. "It's just- I'm so used to Forks now." I turned in his arms so I was facing him. "Melody and I have become closer than we ever were before, and your family has become my family."

"They _are_ your family," he said. "They're your sisters and brothers and parents now. And they _love_ you."

"Jazz, I haven't been this content in so long. Not since Issa died. You, and everyone else, have made me so happy. Do you know that?"

He smiled his beautiful smile at me. "I do. When you first visited us that day all those months ago, you were so sad. There's been such a change in you, Gwendolyn. You're so…light…now." He searched for the right words. "You're so perfectly happy."

I wrapped my arms tightly around him, making sure not too tightly since I was stronger than him at the moment. "And Grandmother Issa knew for all these years."

He kissed the top of my head. "So did Alice."

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too, Gwen." A wave of love wrapped around me, and I cuddled into him. "You're projecting, Jazz."

"No, I'm not," he said confusedly. "I was just about to, but…"

"But I felt your feelings," I said, and we stared at each other. "You're feeling confused now. I can still feel everything."

Jasper's eyes widened, and he took both my hands in his. "What am I feeling now?"

"Not as confused…Now you're feeling…a little excited. Jasper, what's going on?"

"Gwen, you're an empath, too. I'm not projecting right now. I swear." His golden eyes glowed with excitement.

"I'm like you?" I asked, and he nodded. "But- but I should've felt everyone's emotion earlier-"

"But everything was so new to you," he explained, "you just didn't notice. And I was helping you a bit." He dropped let my hands go and asked, "Now what am I feeling?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but suddenly the emotions stopped. "I- I don't feel anything."

His brow furrowed, and he took my hands in his again. "And now?"

"Love," I said, the same feeling as before surrounding me, but now I realized it started in my hands.

"So you can only sense emotions through touch," he said. "Some people get all the luck."

I kissed his cheek. "Do you think I can project like you?"

"Why don't you try?"

I tightened my grip on his hands and tried to figure out how the hell to project. I focused on the strongest emotion I had at that moment, gathering it in my chest, and I imagined it flowing down my arms to my hands.

Jasper smiled, and I knew it worked. I gave a little jump for joy. "This is amazing!"

He quickly scooped me up and twirled me. "Darlin', you are amazing!" He set me down and kissed me. "Absolutely amazing!"

"I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" I giggled.

"Always," he sighed happily, and I could tell that Jasper was really excited that there was someone else like him.

Suddenly Tasha meowed loudly at us, appearing in the center of my suitcase.

"Looks like someone's impatient to go home," Jasper chuckled.

I picked my little cat up, cradling her carefully in my arms. "Okay, sweetheart, let's go home."

The feeling of peace that ran through me when I stepped into my home was indescribable. I stood in the doorway, slowly looking at everything around me: the paintings, the photos, the staircase- they all looked so much _real_ with my new vision. I breathed deeply, and I could still smell the scent of my grandmother, sandalwood and rose.

"Welcome home, Gwen." Jasper set my suitcase down behind me. "I think Tasha is itching to get out."

"Oh!" I took my purse off my shoulder, which was moving violently as Tasha was trying to escape its confines. "There you go." I opened it and the black cat hopped out, running straight into the kitchen. "Damn thing is hungry already? Good lord."

Jasper chuckled behind me as he walked past me to take my stuff upstairs, and I fed my cat.

"What's it like being home?" Jasper asked me a minute later, appearing next to me as I watched Tasha scarf down her Fancy Feast.

"It's wonderful," I reply. I turned to my mate and wrapped my arms around his neck. "And now we're alone, except for Tasha."

Jasper's golden eyes sparkled. "And a closed door is enough to guarantee some privacy."

"Unlike at your house," I giggled, remembering the time when Emmett burst in on us.

"Or Melody's." Jasper grinned, our foreheads touching.

"I had forgotten about that," I groaned. "That's it. We're staying here forever. This is the only place we can be alone."

"That's fine with me," Jasper replied, and he kissed me softly.

I deepened the kiss and Jazz picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist; he quickly carried me up to my room, and laid me on my bed.

"Hopefully this will be a bit cozier than the forest last night," he said.

"Last night was perfect," I told him. "And tonight will be perfect, too. And the night after that, and the night after that," I laughed, and Jasper chuckled, holding me close to him.

"You're so perfect, Gwendolyn. Do you know that?" His eyes still sparkled with mischief, but his tone was turning more serious. "I am truly the luckiest man in the world."

I put my hands on either side of his face, my fingers brushing his hair away. "And I'm the luckiest woman in the world." After a pause I added, "Thank you for saving me."

"How could I have let you go?" he asked. "I just found you. I'm not ready to give you up, nor do I ever plan to."

I smiled at him, and he moved us so that we were sitting up. "In fact," he continued, "to show you how serious I am, I have something to ask you." He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a little box, and if my heart had still been beating, it would have stopped.

"Jasper!" I gasped.

"Gwendolyn Grayson, will you marry me?" He opened the box, and inside was a beautiful diamond ring; it looked antique.

"Yes, Jasper! Of course!" I practically shouted, the surprise of his proposal making me a little hysterical. I threw my arms around his neck and planted a solid kiss on his lips.

I could feel him laughing against me, and he kissed me over and over. "My beautiful Gwendolyn."

"My Major Whitlock," I replied, and we couldn't stop kissing and projecting our emotions.

Then Jasper's phone rang. He took it out, looked at the number, laughed, and answered, "Hello, Alice."

"OH MY GOD I'M SO HAPPY I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VISION TO COME TRUE ANTONIO SAYS CONGRATUALTIONS WHEN DO YOU WANT THE WEDDING? I'M PLANNING EVERYTHING."

"Thank you, Ali!" I laughed, and Jazz hung up on her. "Oh dear god. What kind of wedding planner is she like?"

"Well, Bella and Edward's was very nice," he said. "But she's a handful."

"Naturally." Then my phone started going off, and I saw it was from Mel. "Hello?"

"GWENDOLYN, SETH JUST PROPOSED!"

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but the next chapter is going to be ridiculously long and set about six months later, just fyi. **

**GET READY FOR THE WEDDING FEELS!**

**AND MERRY CHRISTMAS , EVERYONE! :D**


End file.
